Invergordon railway station is a railway station serving the town of Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line, 31 miles 37 chains (50.6 km) from Inverness, between Alness and Fearn.[4] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Invergordon, Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°41′21″N 4°10′28″W / 57.6891°N 4.1745°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NH704686 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | IGD[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Inverness and Ross-shire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LMSR | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 23 March 1863[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  27,826 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 3,134 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  13,308 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 18,758 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 28,580 | ||||
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History
editThe station opened on 23 March 1863,[5] as part of the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway, later the Highland Railway and then the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Accidents and incidents
editOn 26 November 1944, Royal Air Force Short Sunderland DD851 of the No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit departed Cromarty Firth, RAF Alness on an anti-submarine patrol of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. During the initial climb a connecting rod on the starboard inner engine broke, the engine caught fire and fell off. The Sunderland, with a full load of fuel and depth charges then crashed into the railway line 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Invergordon railway station where all 11 of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) crew were killed.[6] The crew are buried in the Stonefall Air Force Cemetery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.[7]
Facilities
edit
Both platforms have a help point and benches, whilst only platform 2 has a shelter (passengers on platform 1 have to use the old station buildings for shelter). There is a car park and bike racks adjacent to platform 1. Both platforms have multiple entries, all with step-free access.[8] 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 consists of two side platforms, which can each accommodate an eight-coach train, flanking a passing loop 34 chains (680 m) long on the predominantly single-track line from Dingwall to Thurso and Wick.[9]
Passenger volume
edit| 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 | 7,069 | 8,109 | 9,195 | 12,949 | 15,853 | 19,974 | 20,648 | 23,444 | 34,564 | 34,974 | 36,355 | 31,962 | 29,054 | 27,886 | 28,958 | 28,806 | 27,826 | 3,134 | 13,308 | 18,758 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
editThe station has seen a number of timetable improvements since 2008, with the addition of an extra through train each way to/from Wick on weekdays and further shorter distance services to/from Inverness aimed at the commuter market (these mainly run as far as Tain or Ardgay). Prior to this, 3 departures in each direction was the standard service on the line for many years.[11]
In the December 2021 timetable, the station sees 6 services northbound on weekdays (4 to Wick via Thurso, 1 to Ardgay, 1 to Tain) and 4 northbound on Sundays (1 to Wick, 3 to Tain). On weekdays and Saturdays, there are 9 services southbound to Inverness, with 5 on Sundays.[12]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alness or Dingwall | ScotRail Far North Line |
Fearn or Tain or Terminates here | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Alness Line and station open |
Highland Railway Inverness and Ross-shire Railway |
Delny Line open; Station closed | ||
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Quick 2022, p. 256.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Quick 2022, p. p=256.
- ^ Form 1160 Crash Report (Report). Air Ministry. 1944.
- ^ Allison, Les; Hayward, Harry (June 1992). "They Shall Not Grow Old" A book of Remembrance. Brandon, MB: Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Inc. ISBN 0920436412.
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Brailsford 2017, map 18D.
- ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Table 239 National Rail timetable, May 2006.
- ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
Bibliography
edit- Quick, Michael (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
External links
edit
- Train times and station information for Invergordon railway station from National Rail