Beauly railway station

Beauly
Scottish Gaelic: A' Mhanachainn
Location
Place	Beauly
Local authority	Highland
Coordinates	57°28′42″N 4°28′12″W / 57.4783°N 4.4699°WCoordinates: 57°28′42″N 4°28′12″W / 57.4783°N 4.4699°W
Grid reference	NH520457
Operations
Station code	BEL
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Number of platforms	1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	49,858
2011/12	54,540
2012/13	55,236
2013/14	57,946
2014/15	57,446
History
Original company	Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
11 June 1862	Opened
13 June 1960	Closed
15 April 2002	Reopened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Beauly from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Beauly railway station serves the village of Beauly in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the first stop after leaving Inverness station, heading north on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line.

History

Beauly station in 1961

The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway, which was to be a line between Inverness and Invergordon, was authorised in 1860, and opened in stages.^[1] The first section, that between Inverness and Dingwall, opened on 11 June 1862,^[2] and one of the original stations was that at Beauly.^[3] It had two platforms and a passing loop.

The station closed a nearly a century later, on 13 June 1960,^[3] along with most of the others between Inverness and Bonar Bridge. This was due to increasing competition from motorbuses, particularly those of Highland Omnibuses Ltd.^[4]

Following a local campaign, the station was reopened in 2002. A new platform, shelter and car park were built in a £250,000 project.^[5] The platform is the shortest in Great Britain, only long enough for a single carriage and measuring 15.06 metres (49.4 ft) in 2013 compared with Conon Bridge's 15.08 metres (49.5 ft).^[6] Normally operated by Class 158 trains, there is only one door in operation. Announcements are made on the train as to which door this will be. The original station building is now used for offices and housing.

The reopening of the station led to 75% of local commuters switching from road to rail.^[7] Beauly has therefore provided a boost to campaigns to open small basic local stations. In 2007/8 with its population of just 1,164 Beauly's usage to population ratio (36 annual journeys per head) ranked as one of the highest in Britain.

Plans to reopen nearby Conon Bridge railway station in a similar style^[8] were fulfilled on 8 February 2013.^[9]

Services

References

1. Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R.; Lambert, Anthony J. (1985) [1938]. The Highland Railway (4th ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 31. ISBN 0-946537-24-0.
2. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 32
3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 30. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
4. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 161
5. "Full steam ahead for Beauly Station". Highland Council. 15 April 2002. Archived from the original on 26 Jun 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
6. Milner, Chris (August 2013). "Size matters: Beauly has the shortest platform". The Railway Magazine. 159 (1,348): 88.
7. "Railway link proposed for airport". BBC News. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
8. "Inverness to Plockton". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 4. Episode 14. 2013-01-24. BBC. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
9. "Conan Bridge (sic) station open after 50 years". Rail Technology Magazine. Cognitive Publishing Ltd. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.

External links

• Inverness and Ross-shire Railway - RailScot
• Beauly Station on navigable 1947 O.S. map