60-958: North Line may refer to: Far North Line , Scotland Gjøvik Line , Norway Main North Line, New Zealand Main North railway line, New South Wales , Australia Milwaukee District/North Line , Illinois, United States Northern line (underground railway), London, England North Line, Chennai Suburban , India North Line (METRORail) , Houston, Texas, United States North-Link Line , Taiwan Nordbanen , Denmark Sounder North Line , Washington, United States Union Pacific/North Line , Illinois, United States West North Line, Chennai Suburban , India See also [ edit ] Northern Line (disambiguation) Northern Railway (disambiguation) Main North Line (disambiguation) North–South line (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
120-457: A 900-metre (3,000 ft) bridge , the railway line instead follows the coast of the Firth. In fact, the railway does not return to an open coastline for another 40 route miles (64 km) until Golspie , even though the distance between Tain and Golspie as the crow flies is only 11.1 miles (17.9 km). There have been many unsuccessful proposals to build a new, shorter railway line between
180-402: A Catalina was found and restored by RAF apprentices and now resides in the town of Alness . The tennis courts on the industrial estate are the only remaining parts of the estate which date from World War II. At Nigg there is an important North Sea oil and renewable energy centre owned by Global Energy Group since 2011. The yard with a dry dock for repairing and fabricating oil platforms ,
240-453: 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
300-504: 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 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
360-508: 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
420-423: 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. Georgemas Junction 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,
480-511: 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 Culrain , Invershin , Rogart , Dunrobin Castle, Kildonan , Kinbrace , Altnabreac and Scotscalder are designated as request stops : passengers wishing to board
540-402: A supply route for Scapa Flow , Orkney . 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 ,
600-507: A temporary maintenance site at Muir of Ord. A new viaduct was opened in time for the 1990 summer season on 14 May 1990. 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 Inverness . The service pattern
660-647: A trial project funded by a £195,000 grant from the Scottish Government saw timber transported from Georgemas Junction to a processing facility near Inverness by Victa Railfreight. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced two titled trains in 1936, the Orcadian and John O'Groat . 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
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#1732764829130720-538: A westerly and then south-westerly direction for a distance of 19 miles (30.6 km). Excepting between Nigg Bay and Cromarty Bay where it is about 5 miles (8 km) wide, and Alness Bay where it is 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, it has an average width of 1 mile (1.6 km). The southern shore of the Firth is formed by a peninsula known as the Black Isle . Good views of the Cromarty Firth are to be had from
780-513: 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 7-mile-long (11 km) detour via Bonar Bridge. The Kyle once also marked the boundary between the historic counties of Ross and Cromarty and Sutherland ; however,
840-625: Is an arm of the Moray Firth in Scotland . The entrance to the Cromarty Firth is guarded by two precipitous headlands; the one on the north 151 metres (495 ft) high and the one on the south 141 metres (463 ft) high — called " The Sutors " from a fancied resemblance to a couple of shoemakers (in Scots , souters ) bent over their lasts . From the Sutors the Firth extends inland in
900-622: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Far North Line The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland , 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
960-478: 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: 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
1020-493: 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 15.06 metres (49 ft 5 in). 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
1080-432: 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 Scotscalder 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 Culrain , Invershin , Rogart , Kildonan and Kinbrace . A further kiosk
1140-584: Is only open during the summer months (one of only two such stations on the National Rail network, alongside Falls of Cruachan elsewhere in Scotland), 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 15 miles (24 km), occasionally coming just metres away from
1200-629: 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 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 17 miles (27 km). Soon,
1260-524: 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 2 centimetres (0.8 in) longer than that at Beauly. Shortly afterwards, the line crosses the River Conon and passes through the village of Maryburgh before reaching Dingwall station –
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#17327648291301320-490: The A882 and B874 roads, and terminates at Wick station on the east coast. At 18 miles 35 chains (29.7 km), 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 17 miles (27 km) to
1380-590: 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
1440-815: 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 10 miles (16 km), 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
1500-479: 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
1560-574: The Light Railways Act 1896 , the standard gauge 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 and the Black Isle . On 7 February 1989, Ness Viaduct, just west of Inverness station, collapsed in unprecedented flooding. The remaining 270 miles (430 km) of network to Kyle of Lochalsh and The Far North line had to be operated from
1620-603: The sunfish and basking sharks are seasonal or occasional visitors to the firth. The Firth forms one of the safest and most commodious anchorages in the north of Scotland and Invergordon was at one time a major base for the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. The Firth was the scene of the Invergordon Mutiny in 1931. Remnants of the Navy remain, such as the disused airfield near Evanton (now an industrial estate) which
1680-705: The Caithness coastline. The railway line begins at Inverness station , where passenger connections are available for the Highland Main Line (to Perth , Glasgow , Edinburgh and London ) and the Aberdeen–Inverness line (to Inverness Airport , Elgin and Aberdeen ), as well as for bus services to destinations throughout the Scottish Highlands . While the A9 leaves Inverness by crossing
1740-781: The Highland Railway was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway , 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 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 and World War II as part of
1800-543: The Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered. 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
1860-479: The Sutors or Cnoc Fyrish. At its head the Firth receives its principal river, the River Conon , other rivers include the Allt Graad , Peffery , Sgitheach , Averon and Balnagown. The Dingwall Canal remains connected to the Firth, although it is now disused. The principal settlements on its shores are Dingwall near the head, Cromarty near the mouth (from which the Firth takes its name), and Invergordon on
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1920-449: 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
1980-400: The capacity of the lines. 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 stops . 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
2040-455: 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
2100-545: 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 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
2160-427: 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
2220-425: 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)
2280-445: The least-used stations on the line, typically averaging less than 1 passenger per day. After another two and a half miles (4.0 km), the track passes south of Halkirk – the first unscattered village in over 44 route miles (71 km), 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, Georgemas Junction , at
2340-409: The line leaves the county of Sutherland and enters Caithness . 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 11 miles (18 km) from the nearest village and 6.8 miles (11 km) from the nearest paved road. There are, however,
2400-526: 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 stops , and each station only serves a handful of isolated houses. Initially, the single track follows the course of the Strath of Kildonan together with
2460-527: 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 5.5 miles (8.9 km) until it reaches Lairg station , located about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of the village itself . This is the furthest point away from the coast on the Lairg loop; beyond
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2520-411: The mostly mountainous Scottish Highlands , 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 Muir of Ord , Dingwall , Invergordon , Tain , Ardgay , Lairg , Rogart , Brora , Helmsdale and Forsinard . The loops at Rogart and Brora are not timetabled to be
2580-488: The north end of the Cromarty Bridge . The next station on the line is Alness , 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 10 miles (16 km) without another station until Fearn . Located approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) west of Hill of Fearn ,
2640-710: The north shore. The villages of Evanton , Alness and Culbokie are nearby. There is one bridge , the A9 road crossing between Ardullie and Findon. In the past there were several ferries across the firth (for example at Foulis ) but now there is only one, a four-car ferry that runs between Cromarty and Nigg during the summer. The firth is designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. Many bottlenose dolphins , harbour porpoises , grey seals and harbour seals live here, while minke whales seasonally migrate. Larger animals such as humpback whales , northern bottlenose whales , long-finned pilot whales , common dolphins , large fish such as
2700-542: The north) at the northeastern tip of mainland Britain, which is linked to the town by a bus service operated by Stagecoach Highlands . The full line between Inverness and Wick (excluding the Thurso branch) is 161 miles 33 chains (259.8 km) long; the Thurso branch has a length of 6 miles 50 chains (10.7 km). The whole line is unelectrified . Despite its considerable length and passing through
2760-506: 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 7 miles (11 km) 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
2820-456: 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
2880-480: 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 3 miles (5 km) until it reaches Tain station on the south side of the Dornoch Firth . 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
2940-410: The rest of the line (and most of the Scottish Highlands ), 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 seven and a half more miles (12.1 km) until it reaches Forsinard station which, despite its isolation, is not a request stop. With two platforms, this station
3000-417: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title North Line . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Line&oldid=1220907935 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
3060-518: 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. 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 . Instead,
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#17327648291303120-482: 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 3 miles (5 km) it reaches the first two request stops en route – Culrain and Invershin , which lie on either side of the Invershin Viaduct over the Kyle. At just 34 chains (680 m), the distance between these two stations
3180-618: 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
3240-468: 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, Rogart , which actually lies in the small hamlet of Pittentrail and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Rogart itself; the station briefly closed in 1960, only to be reopened less than 9 months later. Immediately east of
3300-482: The station there is an open level crossing – the only such crossing on the line. Four miles (6.4 km) 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
3360-612: The train at these stations must press a button at a designated kiosk on the platform (except at Altnabreac, where passengers need to flag the train by raising their arm – see above ), 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
3420-550: The two villages via Dornoch , 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, Ardgay , at the end of the Dornoch Firth. The station is in the village of Ardgay and also serves
3480-591: Was added at Dunrobin Castle in May 2023. The last kiosk, at Altnabreac , 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, and as of December 2023 the kiosk is yet to be installed. The line was built in several stages: Much of the work was done by the Inverness -based Highland Railway company or, when completed, taken over by that company. In 1923
3540-421: Was built to take aircraft from the fleet carriers while they were at anchor. During World War II , there was a large training and operational base for Catalina amphibious aircraft and Sunderland seaplanes, which extended from Invergordon to Alness point - also now an industrial estate. A memorial to the men who were killed on operational missions was placed at this industrial estate in 2001. A propeller from
3600-493: Was the standard service pattern at this time. 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 took over the franchise. Cromarty Firth The Cromarty Firth ( / ˈ k r ɒ m ər t i / ; Scottish Gaelic : Caolas Chrombaidh [ˈkʰɯːlˠ̪əs̪ ˈxɾɔumbaj] ; literally "kyles [ straits ] of Cromarty ")
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