Conon Bridge is a railway station on the Far North and Kyle of Lochalsh Lines, which serves the villages of Conon Bridge and Maryburgh in the Scottish Highlands. Initially known as Conon, it originally closed in 1960 and reopened on 8 February 2013. The station is 16 miles 21 chains (26.2 km) from Inverness, between Muir of Ord and Dingwall.[3]
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The platform at Conon Bridge, looking south | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Conon Bridge, Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°33′42″N 4°26′25″W / 57.5617°N 4.4404°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NH540550 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | CBD[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Inverness and Ross-shire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 11 June 1862 | Opened as Conon[2] | ||||
| 13 June 1960 | Closed[2] | ||||
| 8 February 2013 | Reopened as Conon Bridge | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  18,022 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  2,598 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 9,212 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 10,898 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 13,104 | ||||
| |||||
History
edit
Original station
editThe original railway station (then named just Conon) was opened by Inverness and Ross-shire Railway on 11 June 1862[2] and closed on 13 June 1960.[2] The original station had two platforms and was the junction with the partially constructed Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway.
2013 reopening
editThe rebuilt station was projected to open by 2012 as Conon Bridge.[4][5] In March 2012, Network Rail revealed that agreement had been reached with the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership for it to provide £100,000 towards the construction of a single four-carriage platform at the station site.[6] The new station was forecast to handle 36,000 passengers a year, including tourists and commuters to Inverness.[6]
In September 2012, Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown announced that a new station, expected to cost £600,000, would be built in time for a February 2013 opening, in time to help relieve traffic during the delayed £18 million pound resurfacing works to be carried out on the Kessock Bridge.[7]
Construction was begun in November 2012 by Network Rail. A single platform around 15 metres long (similar to that at nearby Beauly railway station[8]) was provided, together with a new waiting shelter, passenger information systems, cycle racks and lockers and a new car park, wider road access and enhanced street lighting.[9] The project was supported by Highland Council, HiTRANS, Network Rail and First ScotRail.[10] It reopened as scheduled and on budget on 8 February 2013.[9][11] In the month following the station's opening, more than 2,000 journeys were made to or from it.[12] According to Minister for Transport Keith Brown, the numbers "show that it was an extremely worthwhile investment".[12]
Facilities
editThe station has only basic facilities, these being a small waiting shelter, a car park, bike racks and a help point.[13] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.
Platform layout
editThe station has a single platform which is long enough for a one-coach train.[14]
Passenger volume
editThe main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Conon Bridge station in the 2022/23 period was Inverness, making up 6,352 of the 10,898 journeys (58.29%).[15]
| 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 3,788 | 18,114 | 15,510 | 15,276 | 15,494 | 15,100 | 17,530 | 18,022 | 2,598 | 9,212 | 10,898 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
editAs of the December 2021 timetable, on weekdays and Saturdays, the station sees 11 trains northbound (3 to Wick via Thurso, 4 to Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 to Dingwall, 1 to Invergordon, 1 to Ardgay and 1 to Tain), and 13 trains southbound to Inverness. On Sundays, the station sees 6 trains northbound (1 to Wick, 1 to Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 to Invergordon and 3 to Tain), and 6 trains southbound.[16]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muir of Ord | ScotRail Far North Line Kyle of Lochalsh line |
Dingwall | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Muir of Ord | Highland Railway Inverness and Ross-shire Railway |
Dingwall | ||
| Alcaig | Highland Railway Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway |
Terminus | ||
References
edit- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Butt 1995, p. 67
- ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 99. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
- ^ Abbot, J.; Sully, J. (October 2008). "Hoisting the saltire high". Modern Railways. 65 (721). Ian Allan Publishings.
- ^ "Railway link proposed for airport". BBC News. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
- ^ a b "New Conon Bridge railway station 'could open soon'". BBC News Online. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "Conon Bridge railway station to reopen in 2013". BBC News Online. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ "Inverness to Plockton". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 4. Episode 14. 24 January 2013. BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ a b Nigel Harris, ed. (6–19 March 2013). "Conon Bridge station re-opens". RAIL (717): 19.
- ^ "Construction underway at Conon Bridge". Caithness Business Index. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Conon Bridge station open after 50 years". Rail Technology Magazine. Cognitive Publishing Ltd. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ^ a b Nigel Harris, ed. (3–16 April 2013). "Kessock boosts the Far North line". RAIL (719): 15.
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries - Station facilities for Conon Bridge". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Brailsford 2017, map 18C.
- ^ a b "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
Bibliography
edit- Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
External links
edit
- Train times and station information for Conon Bridge railway station from National Rail