Invergordon railway station

Invergordon railway station is a railway station serving the town of Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line, 31 miles 37 chains (50.6 km) from Inverness.[2]

Invergordon Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ghòrdain[1]
Location	Invergordon, Highland Scotland
Coordinates	57.6891°N 4.1745°W
Grid reference	NH704686
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	IGD
History
Original company	Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	LMSR
Key dates
28 July 1874	Opened
Passengers
2015/16	29,054
2016/17	27,886
2017/18	28,958
2018/19	28,806
2019/20	27,826
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station consists of two side platforms, which can each accommodate an eight-coach train, flanking a passing loop 34 chains (680 m) long on the predominantly single-track line from Dingwall to Thurso and Wick.[2] The permanent station buildings are all on the southbound platform, the northbound platform having a simple shelter. As of 2011 the buildings are not in use. In 2008/2009, the station underwent a brightening-up programme run by the Invergordon "Off The Wall" group.

Northbound, leaving the station, the track snakes under a one-way road bridge and runs alongside Park Primary School until turning into single track; it then runs through the Invergordon distillery and Inverbreakie housing estate. It then enters the woods.

Geography

The station is located at the south end of Invergordon's High Street and is easily accessible from all areas of Invergordon, the closest area being the densely populated area of South Lodge.

Services

The station has seen a number of timetable improvements since 2008, with the addition of an extra through train each way to/from Wick on weekdays and further shorter distance services to/from Inverness aimed at the commuter market (these mainly run as far as Tain or Ardgay). Prior to this, 3 departures in each direction was the standard service on the line for many years.[3]

In the May 2016 timetable, there are seven trains from (plus an extra late service on Fridays & Saturdays only) and nine trains to Inverness Mon-Sat with four of these running the length of the line to Thurso & Wick. On Sundays, there is a single train to/from Wick and five to Inverness (three of these run to Tain whilst the other starts here).[4]

RAF Sunderland crash

On 26 November 1944, Royal Air Force Short Sunderland DD851 of the No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit departed Cromarty Firth, RAF Alness on an anti-submarine patrol of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. During the initial climb a connecting rod on the starboard inner engine broke, the engine caught fire and fell off. The Sunderland, with a full load of fuel and depth charges then crashed into the railway line 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Invergordon railway station where all 11 of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) crew were killed.[5] The crew are buried in the Stonefall Air Force Cemetery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.[6]

References

1. Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
2. Brailsford 2017, map 18D.
3. Table 239 National Rail timetable, May 2006.
4. Table 239 National Rail timetable, May 2016.
5. Form 1160 Crash Report (Report). Air Ministry. 1944.
6. Allison, Les; Hayward, Harry (June 1992). "They Shall Not Grow Old" A book of Remembrance. Brandon, MB: Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Inc. ISBN 0920436412.