Dingwall railway station serves Dingwall, Scotland. It is located just south of the junction of the Far North Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, and is managed and served by ScotRail. The station is 18 miles 58 chains (30.1 km) from Inverness, and is the zero point for the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. It is sited after Conon Bridge heading northbound, with the next station being either Garve or Alness.[5]
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The platforms at Dingwall station, looking south | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Dingwall, Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°35′39″N 4°25′20″W / 57.8632°N 4.4222°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NH553585 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | DIN[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Inverness and Ross-shire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LMS | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 11 June 1862[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  80,154 | ||||
| Interchange | 431 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 9,864 | ||||
| Interchange | 31 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  46,524 | ||||
| Interchange | 272 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 55,536 | ||||
| Interchange | 304 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 63,976 | ||||
| Interchange | 387 | ||||
Listed Building – Category B | |||||
| Designated | 25 February 1986 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB24514[4] | ||||
| |||||
History
edit
The station was built by the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway (I&RR) and opened on 11 June 1862 when the company's line was opened from Inverness to Dingwall. The extension to Invergordon came on 23 March 1863. The I&RR was consolidated with the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway on 30 June 1862. The operating name became the Highland Railway (HR) on 29 June 1865. Under Highland Railway ownership the current station buildings were erected in 1886 by architect Murdoch Paterson.[6][page needed]
The HR became a constituent of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) in 1923.[7]
The main passenger services through the station were to Wick and Thurso and to Kyle of Lochalsh. Between 1885 and 1946 there was a branch line service to Strathpeffer.[8]
The Highland Railway built a small steam locomotive shed near the station and this continued in use by the LMSR and British Railways until closure at the end of steam locomotive operations in the area in the early 1960s. It was a sub-shed of the large Inverness facility.[9]
The station formerly had two signal boxes to supervise the passing loop and junction between the two routes - both were however closed in 1985 when the Radio Electronic Token Block system was introduced by British Rail on the Far North Line. The system was initially worked from a control centre at the station, with the line southwards planned for inclusion in the Inverness area resignalling scheme. However, when the Inverness scheme was completed in 1988, RETB control was transferred to the new signalling centre there and one here was closed. The junction points were altered so that they were (and still are) power operated - drivers of northbound trains use a plunger on the down platform to select the correct route, whilst southbound trains trigger the correct setting by occupying track circuits on the approach to the station.[citation needed]
Historic Scotland designate the current station and platforms as Category B.[4]
Accidents and incidents
editIn 1897, an evening train from Dingwall heading towards Garve stopped short of a summit, and the rear coaches of the train ran back down the steep ascent towards Dingwall, as the coupling failed. They stopped just before reaching the junction to the north of the station. The only damage was to some level crossing gates, which were demolished by the coaches.[10]
On 22 January 2010, a Class 158 Express Sprinter unit (158701) working the 17:15 Inverness to Ardgay service derailed at Dingwall; nobody was badly injured, but one female passenger was taken to hospital as a precaution.[11]
Facilities
edit
Both platforms have benches and help points, with most of the main facilities sited on platform 1, being a concourse, a disabled toilet, ticket office, and a bar. There is a small car park (adjacent to which is a payphone) and bike racks next to platform 1. Platform 2 also has a waiting room and a shelter. Both platforms have step-free access.[12] New annunciator LED screens have been installed on both platforms, giving information on the next three trains to arrive, and general security information.[citation needed]
Platform layout
editIt has a passing loop 32 chains (640 m) long, with two platforms. Platform 1 on the northbound line can accommodate trains having eight coaches, whereas platform 2 on the southbound line can hold ten.[13]
Passenger volume
edit| 2002–03 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 31,849 | 34,898 | 43,508 | 55,034 | 64,404 | 72,086 | 80,324 | 84,920 | 101,730 | 104,746 | 101,996 | 87,782 | 82,508 | 80,900 | 86,276 | 81,408 | 80,154 | 9,864 | 46,524 | 55,536 |
| Interchanges | –[nb 1] | 160 | 178 | 141 | 186 | 717 | 8,172 | 598 | 660 | 442 | 7,834 | 583 | 445 | 421 | 491 | 487 | 431 | 31 | 272 | 304 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
editAs Dingwall is a key station on the Far North Line, all trains stop here regardless of destination.
On weekdays and Saturdays, the station sees 7 trains northbound (4 to Wick via Thurso, 1 to Invergordon, 1 to Ardgay, 1 to Tain), 4 trains westbound to Kyle of Lochalsh, and 14 trains southbound to Inverness. On Sundays, the station sees 5 trains northbound (1 to Wick, 3 to Tain, 1 to Invergordon), 1 train westbound to Kyle of Lochalsh, and 6 trains southbound to Inverness.[15]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conon Bridge or Muir of Ord |
ScotRail Kyle of Lochalsh Line |
Garve | ||
| ScotRail Far North Line |
Alness or Invergordon or Terminus | |||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Conon Line and station open |
Highland Railway Inverness and Ross-shire Railway 
|
Foulis Line open; station closed | ||
| Highland Railway Dingwall and Skye Railway
|
Achterneed Line open; station closed | |||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | Highland Railway D&SR Strathpeffer Branch |
Strathpeffer Line and station closed | ||
Notes
edit- ^ No data available.
References
edit- ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 79.
- ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland & LB24514.
- ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 99. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
- ^ Gifford 1992.
- ^ Awdry 1990, pp. 80–83.
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 222.
- ^ Fuller 1961, p. 48.
- ^ Caton, Peter (2018). Remote Stations. Leicestershire: Matador. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-78901-408-2.
- ^ "Points failure led to Dingwall train derailment". BBC News Highlands & Islands. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Brailsford 2017, map 18C.
- ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
Bibliography
edit
- Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
- Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 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. OL 11956311M.
- Fuller, Aidan L.F. (1961). British Locomotive Shed Directory. Railway Publications Ltd.
- Gifford, John (1992). The Buildings of Scotland, Highland and Islands. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09625-9.
- Historic Environment Scotland. "Dingwall railway station. Down and up platform ranges, Down platform staff shelter (LB24514)". Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- 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.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.