Kyle of Lochalsh railway station


Kyle of Lochalsh railway station is the terminus of the Kyle of Lochalsh Line in the village of Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highlands, northern Scotland.
The station is from, and has two platforms which can each accommodate a nine-coach train.

History

The station was opened on 2 November 1897 by the Highland Railway, following the completion of the extension of the Dingwall and Skye Railway from. The extension took more than four years to complete due to the unforgiving nature of the terrain through which it was driven - 29 bridges had to be constructed and more than 30 cuttings excavated through solid rock, which led to it costing £20,000 per mile. As built, the station consisted of a broad island platform on a pier next to the water's edge and a chalet-style station building close to the western end. Access to the station was via a sloping access road. Several sidings were provided, along with a signal box and small locomotive shed. The station was host to two LMS caravans from 1935 to 1937 followed by one caravan in 1938 to 1939.
Until the early 1970s, the station provided a connection to the ferry services for the Outer Hebrides. The ferry terminal at the Kyle of Lochalsh was from Stornoway, and Ross and Cromarty council created a new £460,000 ferry terminal at Ullapool which was only from Stornoway.
The signal box closed in 1984, when Radio Electronic Token Block working was introduced on the line by British Rail - although no longer operational it is still intact and has been adapted for use as a holiday cottage. Both platforms however remain, though only the western face is normally used by passenger trains. Three sidings are also still intact, including a run-round loop for loco-hauled trains alongside platform 1 and a loading bank siding adjacent to this. Access to each of the sidings and platform 2 is by means of ground frames.
The station is located next to the piers that used to offer sailings to Skye, the ferries being superseded on 16 October 1995 by the Skye Bridge that lies close to the station.

Services

There are four daily departures from the station to and during the week and either one or two services on Sundays.