Altnabreac railway station


Altnabreac railway station is a rural railway station located in the Highland council area of Scotland. It serves the area of Altnabreac a settlement in which the station itself is the main component in the historic county of Caithness. The station is on a private dirt road between Loch More and Forsinain, which is marked as a cycle trail on Ordnance Survey maps.
The station is situated on the Far North Line, down the line from and approximately from. It has a single platform which is long enough to accommodate a four-carriage train.
Being about away from the nearest paved road and away from the nearest village, Altnabreac is often listed as one of Britain's most geographically isolated railway stations, alongside elsewhere in Scotland and in Norfolk. The nearest village is Westerdale, which itself is in fact closer to Scotscalder station. Nevertheless, despite its isolation, the station is used by walkers and off-road cyclists, as well as railway enthusiasts and those who enjoy visiting remote locations. In the 201819 financial year the station saw 408 passengers, making it the 28th least-used station in the United Kingdom, although four other stations on the Far North Line had even fewer passengers, including neighbouring Scotscalder.
The station is managed by Abellio ScotRail, which also operates all trains serving the station.

History

The station was opened by the Sutherland and Caithness Railway on 28 July 1874 and later absorbed by the Highland Railway.
The reason for the station's construction is a mystery. At the time of construction it was from the nearest settlement and from the nearest road. The only source of traffic at the station, Lochdhu Lodge, approximately to the south, was not built until 1895 and the Altnabreac School was not built until 1930. However, it had a passing loop with a water tank so may have been established for purely operational reasons.
Taken into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923, the line then passed on to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced by British Rail, the station became part of ScotRail until the Privatisation of British Rail.

Services

On weekdays and Saturdays, the service pattern from the station consists of four trains per day northbound to via and three trains per day southbound to via,,, and. On Sundays there is just one train per day each way.
This station is designated as a request stop. This means that passengers intending to alight must inform the guard in advance, and any passengers wishing to board must ensure they are in view of the train driver, and are required to use a hand signal to stop the train.