Insch railway station
Insch railway station is a railway station serving the village of Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by Abellio ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. It was opened by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1854, on the route from Aberdeen to Keith.
Insch | |
---|---|
Scottish Gaelic: Innis[1] | |
View from Insch railway station looking west towards Hill of Dunnideer | |
Location | |
Place | Insch |
Local authority | Aberdeenshire |
Coordinates | 57.3374°N 2.6168°W |
Grid reference | NJ629276 |
Operations | |
Station code | INS |
Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
Number of platforms | 2 |
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
Annual rail passenger usage* | |
2014/15 | |
2015/16 | |
2016/17 | |
2017/18 | |
2018/19 | |
History | |
Pre-grouping | Great North of Scotland Railway |
1854 | Opened |
National Rail – UK railway stations | |
|
The station building accommodates the Insch Connection Museum, which records the history of the railway in Insch and the local region. The station has two platforms, a signal box and a level crossing at its northern end. It is located at the southern end of a double track section of the line, which runs north as far as Kennethmont before reverting to single track once more.
Future developments
The Scotland Route Utilisation Strategy, published by Network Rail in March 2007, recommends an improved frequency and capacity for passenger services on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line given the high patronage at peak times. Two development options are identified in the report: the provision of additional infrastructure to allow an accelerated hourly service; and platform extensions to permit six-car operation. If the latter were implemented, the platforms at Insch railway station would be extended by 17 metres.[2] Transport Scotland agreed to fund a £170 million infrastructure upgrade for the route in 2014 that includes the aforementioned platform lengthening work here. Other upgrades include signalling and level crossing modernisation work, additional stations at Dalcross and Kintore, relocating the station at Forres and redoubling the Inverurie to Aberdeen section. The project was due to be completed by 2019.[3]
The Aberdeen to Inverurie section was doubled on schedule by the end of 2019, but the two additional stations have yet to open.
Services
There is a basic two-hourly frequency in each directions (with peak extras), to Inverness via Elgin northbound and Aberdeen southbound (11 trains each way in total). The first departure to Aberdeen each weekday and Saturday continues south to Edinburgh Waverley and there is a return working in the evening. On Sundays there are five trains each way, with a southbound through working to Glasgow Queen Street.[4]
Preceding station | Following station | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inverurie | Abellio ScotRail Aberdeen to Inverness Line |
Huntly | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Buchanstone Line open; Station closed |
Great North of Scotland Railway GNoSR Main Line |
Wardhouse Line open; Station closed |
References
Notes
- 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Scotland Route Utilisation Strategy, March 2007 Archived 8 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine", Network Rail.
- "Millions to be spent on rail line upgrade" Archived 9 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Paterson, LisaThe Press and Journal article 29 March 2014; Retrieved 19 August 2016
- GB eNRT May 2016 Edition, Table 240 (Network Rail)
Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (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.
- 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.
- RAILSCOT on Great North of Scotland Railway