The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
area of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, extending from
Inverness to
Thurso and
Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-track, with only
passing loops at some intermediate stations allowing trains to pass each other. Like other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.
Route
The line links the city of
Inverness, the largest city in the Scottish Highlands, with the towns of
Wick and
Thurso at the northeastern tip of Britain.
Like the
A9 trunk road north of Inverness, the Far North Line broadly follows the east-facing coastline of the
Moray Firth, with all three termini located on the coast. As such, the railway links many of the same places as the road.
Many more places were served by both the railway and the road before three new road bridges were built: across the
Beauly Firth (between Inverness and the
Black Isle), the
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth (; ; literally "kyles traitsof Cromarty") is an arm of the Moray Firth in Scotland.
Geography
The entrance to the Cromarty Firth is guarded by two precipitous headlands; the one on the north high and the one on the ...
and the
Dornoch Firth. As a result, at some locations the railway is now a long way inland from the modern route of the A9.
The railway also loops a long way inland between
Tain and
Golspie, running via
Lairg, which has never been on the A9; it was envisaged at the time of construction that this diversion would open the centre of Sutherland to trade. It also takes a large inland detour north of
Helmsdale, running via the
Flow Country, which the A9 also never passed through; this diversion was dictated by the unfavourable terrain of the Caithness coastline.
Inverness–Tain: through Ross-shire
The railway line begins at
Inverness station, where passenger connections are available for the
Highland Main Line (to
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
) and the
Aberdeen–Inverness line (to
Inverness Airport,
Elgin and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
), as well as for bus services to destinations throughout the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
. While the
A9 leaves Inverness by crossing the
Beauly Firth on the
Kessock Bridge, the Far North Line instead heads west and runs alongside the Firth.

The single track crosses both the
River Ness and the
Caledonian Canal before it leaves Inverness and parallels the
A862 road towards the village of
Beauly. After , the line crosses the
River Beauly and then takes a sharp, almost 180° right turn (from a west-southwest heading to north-northeast);
Beauly station is located halfway along this curve. Closed in 1960, the station reopened in 2002
and its single operational platform has the distinction of being the shortest on the
National Rail network, at just .
The line then carries on north, crossing the historic county boundary from
Inverness-shire into
Ross and Cromarty just before reaching
Muir of Ord station, which has two platforms and is the site of the first
passing loop on the line.
The line continues to parallel the A862 as it passes through
Conon Bridge station, which reopened in 2013 in a similar style to Beauly
and whose platform is just longer than that at Beauly. Shortly afterwards, the line crosses the
River Conon and passes through the village of
Maryburgh before reaching
Dingwall station – the busiest station on the line aside from Inverness, with just over 80 thousand passengers recorded in the 2019–20 financial year.
At Dingwall Junction just north of the station, the
Kyle of Lochalsh line diverges to the west. The Far North Line, meanwhile, rejoins the coast and continues northeast along the shoreline of the Cromarty Firth; the railway meets the A9 again shortly after, at the north end of the
Cromarty Bridge.
The next station on the line is , which closed in 1960 but reopened 13 years later. After Alness the line turns gently eastwards to reach
Invergordon station before turning northeast again. The line continues in this direction for nearly without another station until . Located approximately west of
Hill of Fearn, the primary source of traffic at the station, it is also the nearest railway stop to the
Seaboard Villages. The railway then takes a sharp turn to run northwest for approximately until it reaches
Tain station on the south side of the
Dornoch Firth.
Tain–Helmsdale: Lairg loop and the Sutherland coast
A short distance west of
Tain, the Far North Line and the A9 part ways again – while the road crosses the
Dornoch Firth by means of
a bridge, the railway line instead follows the coast of the Firth. In fact, the railway does not return to an open coastline for another until
Golspie, even though the distance between Tain and Golspie ''
as the crow flies'' is only . There have been many unsuccessful proposals to build a new, shorter railway line between the two villages via
Dornoch
Dornoch (; ; ) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east. ...
, which led to the existing route via
Lairg being sometimes unofficially called the "Lairg loop".
Soon after the A9 splits away, the line crosses the
lieutenancy area boundary from
Ross and Cromarty into
Sutherland. The track follows the route of the
A836 until the next station on the line, , at the end of the Dornoch Firth. The station is in the village of
Ardgay and also serves the slightly larger village of
Bonar Bridge on the opposite side of the
Kyle of Sutherland.

From Ardgay, the line runs northwards alongside the Kyle, and after just over it reaches the first two
request stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
s en route – and , which lie on either side of the
Invershin Viaduct over the Kyle. At just , the distance between these two stations is among the shortest in all of Britain.
There is no direct road connection between the two sides of the Kyle at this location, and a public footpath was only built alongside the viaduct in 2000; prior to this, the railway was the only way to travel between the two stations without taking a detour via Bonar Bridge. The Kyle once also marked the boundary between the historic counties of
Ross and Cromarty and
Sutherland; however, the modern boundary between the respective
lieutenancy areas lies several miles to the south, putting both stations in modern-day Sutherland.

The track then continues northwards along the
River Shin for another until it reaches
Lairg station, located about south of
the village itself. This is the furthest point away from the coast on the Lairg loop; beyond the station the line curves sharply eastwards and heads back towards the Moray Firth along Strath Fleet, now paralleling the
A839 road. The line then passes through another request stop, , which actually lies in the small hamlet of
Pittentrail and about south of
Rogart itself; the station briefly closed in 1960, only to be reopened less than 9 months later. Immediately east of the station there is an
open level crossing – the only such crossing on the line. after Rogart, the railway meets the A9 again, as it passes by Mound Alderwoods and
Loch Fleet. This was once the site of
The Mound station and a junction with the
Dornoch Light Railway to Dornoch; both the station and the branch closed in 1960. The railway then turns northeast and returns to the coast at
Golspie, with
the station located at the western end of the village.

Just east of Golspie, the line meets
Dunrobin Castle station, which was built as a private, single-platform halt for the
Duke of Sutherland to serve
Dunrobin Castle a short distance south of the track. The station closed in 1965 but reopened in 1985; today, the station is a public request stop, although it is only open during the summer months (one of only two such stations on the National Rail network, alongside elsewhere in Scotland),
[ScotRail Train Times](_blank)
– ScotRail corresponding to the castle's annual opening times. The station is also notable for its lack of lighting; as such, no trains are scheduled to call at the platform before 9 am or after about 6 pm.
The line continues along the coast for another , occasionally coming just metres away from the shoreline, passing through
Brora station before reaching the village of
Helmsdale, located at the mouth of the
river of the same name.
Helmsdale station lies on the other side of the river from most of the village.
Helmsdale–Wick/Thurso: Strath of Kildonan and Caithness

Beyond Helmsdale, the railway is forced to divert away from the Moray Firth coast and from the A9 once again, avoiding the unfavourable terrain of the
Ord of Caithness
The Ord of Caithness () is a granite mass on the east coast of the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland, on the boundary of the historic counties of Sutherland and Caithness. It is north-east of Helmsdale. It forms a hea ...
. Instead, the line takes a sharp turn northwest and heads inland towards the
Flow Country – the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. This is by far the most remote section of the entire line: the majority of the intermediate stations along this stretch are
request stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
s,
and each station only serves a handful of isolated houses.
Initially, the single track follows the course of the
Strath of Kildonan together with the
A897.
Kildonan station, one of the least-used stations on the line,
lies approximately halfway along the Strath; the station was the site of a second
open level crossing until early 2022, when it was replaced with a more standard
barrier crossing (ABCL). The far end of the Strath, close to the point where the A897 meets the
B871 road, marks the location of
Kinbrace station.
Beyond Kinbrace, in stark contrast to the rest of the line (and most of the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
), the topography of the surrounding area becomes flat and low-lying, and will remain so until the railway's two northern termini. The line carries on northwards alongside the A897 for until it reaches
Forsinard station which, despite its isolation, is not a request stop.
With two platforms, this station is the last place on the line where passenger trains running in opposite directions can
pass each other.
The station serves the
Forsinard Flows National Nature Reserve, among other nearby parts of the Flow Country; an
RSPB
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
visitor centre is adjacent to the station platforms. At Forsinard, the line crosses the A897, turns east-northeast, and does not meet another public road for over . Soon, the line leaves the county of
Sutherland and enters
Caithness
Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland.
There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...
.
As the track passes through Caithness countryside, it eventually reaches
Altnabreac station. This single-platform halt is often listed as one of Britain's most geographically isolated railway stations, being about from the nearest village and from the nearest paved road.
There are, however, a handful of houses in the immediate vicinity of the station, accessed by a private
dirt road, which is marked as a public cycle trail on Ordnance Survey maps.
The line then turns gently to the northeast, passing by several small lochs en route, before passing under the B870 road (the first public road close to the line since Forsinard). This is the site of
Scotscalder station, which is among the least-used stations on the line, typically averaging less than 1 passenger per day.
After another , the track passes south of
Halkirk – the first unscattered village in over , although there is no longer a railway station serving it (the
old station having closed in 1960 along with 19 others on the line). The line reaches its penultimate station, , at the point where the line crosses the A9 again. Adjoining the station on the south side is a freight terminal built in 2012 by
Direct Rail Services; this was used by trains taking nuclear material from
Dounreay to
Sellafield.
At Georgemas Junction, which is not a request stop, the lines to
Thurso and
Wick diverge; this is the northernmost railway junction in the United Kingdom.
The Wick-facing Thurso branch curves north immediately west of the station and runs alongside the
River Thurso, paralleling the A9 until it reaches
Thurso station – the northernmost railway station in Britain, by the northern coast of Scotland. Thurso is the nearest station to the ferry terminal at
Scrabster, which has
ferry services to and from the town of
Stromness in the
Orkney Islands. Meanwhile, the main line to Wick continues in an east-southeasterly direction, sandwiched between the
A882 and B874 roads, and terminates at
Wick station on the east coast. At , the distance between Georgemas Junction and Wick is the longest between any two adjacent stations on the line,
although three other stations existed along this stretch until 1960. Wick is the nearest station to
Wick Airport as well as to the village of
John o' Groats (approximately to the north) at the northeastern tip of mainland Britain, which is linked to the town by a bus service operated by
Stagecoach Highlands.
Infrastructure
The full line between and (excluding the Thurso branch) is long; the branch has a length of .
The whole line is
unelectrified.
Despite its considerable length and passing through the mostly mountainous
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
, there are no tunnels on the line.
The line is almost entirely single-track, but there are 10 double-track
passing loops along the route, which allow trains to pass each other: these are at , , , , , , , , and .
The loops at Rogart and Brora are not timetabled to be the passing place for any scheduled passenger services,
but they can be used as such during major disruption on the line.
The whole line north of the former
Clunes station (about west of Inverness), together with the
Kyle of Lochalsh line, are signalled using the
Radio Electronic Token Block system, which is very cost-effective in both implementation and maintenance, but significantly limits the capacity of the lines.
"Press & Ride" request stops
Between 2022 and 2023, the Far North Line became the first railway line in the United Kingdom to implement a new "Press & Ride" system for its
request stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
s.
Under the traditional system (still in use on the rest of the
National Rail network), passengers wishing to board the train at a request stop had to flag the train by raising their arm; this meant that the driver needed to reduce the train's speed before a request stop (to look out for any potential passengers on the platform and be able to stop if necessary), even if the platform was empty. The new system, developed by
Transport Scotland, envisaged the installation of an automatic kiosk (with a button for passengers to press) at each request stop. This alerts the driver about any waiting passengers in advance; if there is no requirement to stop, the train can maintain line speed through the station, thus improving reliability on the whole line.
The first of these kiosks was installed at on 15 August 2022 on a trial basis.
Following the successful trial, the system was expanded on 20 December 2022 to cover five more request stops on the line, namely , , , and .
A further kiosk was added at in . The last kiosk, at , was also expected to be in operation from spring 2023;
however, this has been delayed indefinitely, reportedly due to local homeowners blocking access to the station,. The kiosk was finally installed in April 2025.
History
Pre-Nationalisation
The line was built in several stages:
*
Inverness and Ross-shire Railway - Opened 11 June 1862 between
Inverness and
Ardgay
*
Sutherland Railway - Opened 13 April 1868 between
Ardgay and
Golspie
*
Duke of Sutherland's Railway - Opened 1 November 1870 between
Golspie and
Helmsdale
*
Sutherland and Caithness Railway - Opened 28 July 1874 between
Helmsdale and
Wick /
Thurso
Much of the work was done by the
Inverness-based
Highland Railway company or, when completed, taken over by that company. In 1923 the Highland Railway was grouped into the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
, under the
Railways Act 1921.
Like railway lines generally in
Britain, the line was not a product of any strategic plan, but was an ''
ad hoc
''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...
'' development, facilitated by
Private Acts of Parliament (which were themselves a significant expense for developers) and dependent on cooperation between companies and individuals, each with their own private vested interests. The line became strategically important during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as part of a supply route for
Scapa Flow,
Orkney
Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...
.
That the line extends beyond
Ardgay in the county of
Ross and Cromarty is due, to a large extent, to the railway enthusiasm (some might say madness) of the
3rd Duke of Sutherland. The duke realised his dream of running his own private train to and from his own station at
Dunrobin Castle.
The duke's enthusiasm took the line as far as
Gartymore, a little south of
Helmsdale, in the county of
Sutherland, but this development was more of a financial liability than an asset: the long-term viability of the line then depended on a
Caithness
Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland.
There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...
willingness, not least from the
17th Earl of Caithness, to link the line to the population centres of
Wick and Thurso.
North of Helmsdale the line was built by the
Sutherland and Caithness Railway. Turning inland, it reaches
Forsinard in the
Flow Country. The building of the line through the Flow Country – one of the most scarcely populated parts of Scotland – was to avoid the
Berriedale Braes. North of Helmsdale as far as Lybster, it would have been impractical to build a railway without massive civil engineering projects. Thus coastal villages such as
Latheron and
Lybster are not served by the line.
In 1902, under the provisions of the
Light Railways Act 1896, the
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
Wick and Lybster Railway was built along the east coast of Caithness, running south from Wick to
Lybster. This line was never profitable, and it closed in 1944.
Historic branch lines also served
Dornoch
Dornoch (; ; ) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east. ...
and the
Black Isle.
1989–90 flooding
On 7 February 1989, Ness Viaduct, just west of Inverness station, collapsed in unprecedented flooding. The remaining of network to Kyle of Lochalsh and The Far North line had to be operated from a temporary maintenance site at Muir of Ord. A new viaduct was opened in time for the 1990 summer season on 14 May 1990.
Services
Current passenger services

All passenger trains are operated by
ScotRail using
Class 158 "Express Sprinter" diesel multiple units. The exact stopping pattern varies between each station, as not all trains run the full length of the Far North Line. All passenger services on the line start or terminate at .
The service pattern is infrequent and very irregular, with intervals between consecutive trains at Inverness varying from just 15 minutes to as long as two-and-a-half hours.
As of 2022, on weekdays (including Saturdays), there are 14 trains per day (''tpd'') arriving at Inverness from the north, and 12 northbound departures:
* 1 ''tpd'' each way shuttling to and from only;
* 4 ''tpd'' to and from (branching off the Far North Line at Dingwall);
* 1 ''tpd'' to and from ;
* 1 ''tpd'' to and from ;
* 2 ''tpd'' arriving from with 1 ''tpd'' in the opposite direction;
* 1 ''tpd'' arriving from with no corresponding return service;
* 4 ''tpd'' running the full length to and from via .
On Sundays the services are even less frequent, with just 1 ''tpd'' (2 in the summer) to/from Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 ''tpd'' to/from Invergordon, 3 ''tpd'' to/from Tain, and just a single train each way running all the way to/from Wick.
With the exception of some Wick services, all trains are timetabled to stop at every intermediate station.
Dunrobin Castle station is only open during the summer months; no services call there in the winter.
The stations at , , , Dunrobin Castle, , , and are designated as
request stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
s: passengers wishing to board the train at these stations must press a button at a designated kiosk on the platform, while those wishing to alight must inform the on-board guard to arrange for the train to stop. If there are no passengers wishing to get on or off the train, it will pass through without stopping.
Since 2000, trains to and from Wick have run ''via'' Thurso. On arrival at Georgemas Junction from Inverness, trains reverse to serve Thurso, then reverse again from Thurso to run back to Georgemas Junction (stopping there for a second time) and continue on to Wick. This procedure is mirrored for Inverness-bound services.
Services between Inverness and Wick typically have a journey time of about 4 hours 20 minutes end-to-end.
Freight
has been used for freight handling and had a new railhead opened in 2012 for the transportation of
nuclear flasks, but the terminal has not attracted any commercial operators since. In 2020, a trial project funded by a £195,000 grant from the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
saw timber transported from Georgemas Junction to a processing facility near Inverness by Victa Railfreight.
Previous services
1923–1948 (London Midland and Scottish Railway)
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced two titled trains in 1936, the
Orcadian and
John O'Groat.
1948–1997 (British Rail Scottish Region)

In 1963, the line was listed for closure on the
Beeching Report; however, the Far North Line remained open due to pressure from protesters.
Following the elimination of steam traction by the early 1960s, trains on the line were normally hauled by Inverness allocated
Class 24 diesel locomotives (D5114-32), then subsequently by
Class 26 diesel locomotives. In the 1980s these were replaced by more powerful
Class 37 locomotives, still with Mark 1 rolling stock. These were replaced by
Class 156s in the 1990s by
British Rail. Three trains each way per day (Mon-Sat) was the standard service pattern at this time.
1997–2004 (ScotRail)

The service provided by
ScotRail replicated that provided in the latter years of
BR Scottish Region. ScotRail was owned by
ScotRail (National Express) until 17 October 2004 when
First ScotRail
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.
On 17 October 2004, First ScotRail took over operations from the incumbent franchisee, ScotRai ...
took over the franchise.
Until 2000, when the line was served by s, trains to Caithness were split at – one half of the train would continue to and the other to . This practice ended when s were introduced on the line, adopting the current calling pattern.
2005–2015 (First ScotRail)
Along the full length of the line there were four services each way Monday to Saturday, including a service allowing a connection from the Orkney ferry, and one service each way on Sundays. In the Winter 2008/9 timetable the number of trains to and from Wick was increased to four each way on Mondays to Saturdays.
First ScotRail also operated a number of shorter distance services on the line from Inverness terminating at and , as an alternative commuter route to Inverness in addition to the A9 road.
Passenger volumes
The statistics cover twelve-month periods that start in April.
Future
Electrification
In the
Scottish Government
The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
's National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, it was stated that the section between Inverness and Tain would be electrified with
overhead lines by 2035; an alternative to diesel traction - ostensibly hydrogen - would be used for the remainder of the route.
Delmore Loop
There are plans to construct a new passing loop between Inverness and Beauly.
Proposals
Lairg loop bypass
For many years there have been proposals to bypass the Lairg loop with a line across the
Dornoch Firth, linking Tain more directly with Golspie via
Dornoch
Dornoch (; ; ) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east. ...
. British Rail attempted to get funding for this when the road bridge was built, but the government declined. On 6 March 1987 the government confirmed that it would not fund the project.
This project would involve building a new bridge over the Dornoch Firth, or making the
existing A9 road bridge dual-purpose. Discussions have been held concerning the shortening of the Far North Line involving a bridge over the Firth and the possible use of the trackbed of the former light railway;
however, there have been no confirmed plans for such a shortcut to date.
New stations
Following the successful campaigns to reopen the previously closed stations at in 2002
and at in 2013,
there have been several proposals to reopen more stations on the line. One campaign, supported by the Highland Council and
HITRANS, seeks to build a new station at (between Dingwall and Alness), which was closed in 1960. The Friends of the Far North Line campaign group, meanwhile, proposes the reopening of
Halkirk station near Georgemas Junction; it also looks into the possibility of constructing a new curve of track at Georgemas so that trains could serve the Thurso branch directly, without having to reverse at Georgemas Junction station.
Aims & Actions
– The Friends of the Far North Line
Notes
References
External links
Friends of the Far North Line
*
*
{{Railway lines in Scotland
Transport in Highland (council area)
Transport in Inverness
Railway lines in Scotland
Railway lines opened in 1874
Standard gauge railways in Scotland