Insch railway station is a railway station serving the village of Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Inverurie and Huntly, 27 miles 47 chains (44.4 km) from Aberdeen.[4][page needed]

Insch

National Rail
View from Insch railway station looking west towards Hill of Dunnideer (2004)
General information
LocationInsch, Aberdeenshire
Scotland
Coordinates57°20′15″N 2°37′00″W / 57.3374°N 2.6168°W / 57.3374; -2.6168
Grid referenceNJ629276
Managed byScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeINS[2]
History
Pre-groupingGreat North of Scotland Railway
Key dates
20 September 1854[3]Opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 69,952
2019/20Decrease 57,690
2020/21Decrease 11,038
2021/22Increase 42,090
2022/23Increase 52,348
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

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The station was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway on 20 September 1854, on the route from Aberdeen to Keith.[5]

In 2019, the platforms were extended to a length of 160m as part of a series of improvements to the Aberdeen to Inverness line.[6]

Facilities

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The station building accommodates the Insch Connection Museum, which records the history of the railway in Insch and the local region. The station has two platforms, a signal box and a level crossing at its northern end. Both platforms are equipped with waiting rooms and benches. A help point is located on platform 2, whilst there is a ticket machine on platform 1, the latter of which is adjacent to the car park and some bike racks. Only platform 1 has step-free access - a footbridge connects the two platforms, and is the only way to get to platform 2.[7]

Passenger volume

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Passenger Volume at Insch[8]
2002–03 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 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 53,325 62,261 66,432 65,823 72,644 79,466 82,706 86,854 93,712 107,122 113,922 122,404 118,378 98,140 88,362 69,952 57,690 11,038 42,090 52,348

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

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There is a basic two-hourly frequency in each directions (with peak extras), to Inverness via Elgin northbound and Aberdeen southbound (12 trains southbound, 11 northbound). The first departure to Aberdeen each weekday and Saturday continues south to Edinburgh Waverley, and another continues to Stonehaven in the evening. On Sundays there are five trains each way.[9]

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Inverurie   ScotRail
Aberdeen to Inverness Line
  Huntly
  Historical railways  
Buchanstone
Line open; Station closed
  Great North of Scotland Railway
GNoSR Main Line
  Wardhouse
Line open; Station closed

References

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  1. ^ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
  2. ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ Quick 2022, p. 256.
  4. ^ 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. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
  5. ^ Quick 2022, p. p=256.
  6. ^ "Finishing the job – redoubling Aberdeen to Inverurie | Rail Engineer". 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  7. ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ^ eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 214

Bibliography

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