Alness railway station

Alness Scottish Gaelic: Alanais[1]
General information
Location	Alness, Highland Scotland
Coordinates	57.6944°N 4.2497°W / 57.6944; -4.2497
Grid reference	NH659694
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	ASS[2]
History
Original company	Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	LMSR
Key dates
23 May 1863	Station opened
13 June 1960	Station closed
7 May 1973	Station reopened
Passengers
2018/19	30,426
2019/20	27,050
2020/21	3,220
2021/22	15,810
2022/23	16,804
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Alness railway station is a railway station on the Far North Line, serving the town of Alness, on the Cromarty Firth, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is 28 miles 70 chains (46.5 km) from Inverness, between Dingwall and Invergordon.^[3] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.

History

The station seen in 2009

The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway (I&RR), which was to be a line between Inverness and Invergordon, was authorised in 1860, and opened in stages.^[4] By the time that the last section, that between Dingwall and Invergordon, opened on 25 March 1863, the I&RR had amalgamated with the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR), the authorisation being given on 30 June 1862.^[5] On this last stretch, one of the original stations was that at Alness.^[6] The I&AJR in turn amalgamated with other railways to form the Highland Railway in 1865,^[7] which became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923.^[8] The line then passed on to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The station at Alness was then closed by the British Transport Commission on 13 June 1960^[6] and remained so for 13 years.

The station reopened on 7 May 1973^[6] after significant housing development in the area.^[9] The initial service provision was three trains each way on weekdays and one on Sundays.^[9]

Accidents and incidents

A person died at the station in March 2023 after being struck by a train. The line was reopened the next day.^[10][11] A man was also struck by a train 16 years earlier, in September 2006.^[12]

Facilities

The station consists of one platform on the northern side of the railway, with only a small shelter available. The station also has a small car park, bike racks and a bench.^[13] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Passenger volume

The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Alness in the 2022–23 period was Inverness, making up 6,688 of the 16,804 journeys (39.8%).^[14]

Passenger Volume at Alness^[14]

	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	3,717	6,950	7,633	9,822	11,550	13,722	14,306	17,782	25,498	28,384	27,796	25,934	23,614	26,376	29,272	30,426	27,050	3,220	15,810	16,804

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

On weekdays and Saturdays, there are 7 trains northbound (4 to Wick via Thurso, 1 to Invergordon, 1 to Ardgay and 1 to Tain) and 8 trains southbound to Inverness. On Sundays, there are five trains southbound to Inverness, and 5 trains northbound (3 to Tain, 1 to Invergordon and 1 through to Wick.^[15]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Dingwall		ScotRail Far North Line		Invergordon
	Historical railways
Evanton Line open; station closed		Highland Railway Inverness and Ross-shire Railway		Invergordon Line and station open

References

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
3. 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.
4. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 31
5. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 32
6. Butt 1995, p. 15
7. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 40
8. Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 154
9. Kichenside, G.M., ed. (May 1973). "Farther North station reopened". Modern Railways. Vol. XXX, no. 296. p. 173.
10. Shepherd, Jordan (30 March 2023). "Person dies after being struck by train on Scots railway line". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
11. "UPDATE: Person dies after being hit by train between Invergordon and Dingwall". Northern Times. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
12. "Man killed in rail line incident". 25 September 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
13. "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
14. "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
15. eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219

Bibliography

• 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.
• Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R.; Lambert, Anthony J. (1985) [1938]. The Highland Railway (4th ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-946537-24-0.

External links

• Train times and station information for Alness railway station from National Rail
• RAILSCOT article on Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
• Alness station on navigable 1947 O.S. map