Blair Atholl railway station is a railway station serving the town of Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line, 35 miles 9 chains (56.5 km) from Perth, between Pitlochry and Dalwhinnie. There is a crossover at the north end of the station to allow trains to turn back if the line south to Pitlochry is closed.[4]
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 General view, looking south | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 56°45′55″N 3°50′59″W / 56.7653°N 3.8496°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NN870652 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BLA[2] | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 9 September 1863 | Opened as Blair Athole[3] | ||||
| 1872 | Possibly renamed to Blair Athol[3] | ||||
| 1893 or 1894 | Renamed to Blair Atholl[3] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  21,008 | ||||
| 2019/20 |  18,388 | ||||
| 2020/21 | 3,688 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 11,870 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 13,402 | ||||
| |||||
History
The station was opened by the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway on 9 September 1863.[3]
One of the first visitors to the station was Queen Victoria who arrived in a Royal Train on 15 September 1863 on a visit to Blair Castle to see George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl who was very ill.[5] For its first thirty years until 1893, the station was named 'Blair Athole';[3] the present B-listed station was renamed to its current name in the 1890s.[3]
It originally had a 770-yards long passing loop which was flanked by the two platforms but this has since been extended northbound as double track as far as Dalwhinnie.[6]
Facilities
There are benches on both platforms, with a waiting shelter on platform 2 and natural shelter from the station buildings on platform 1, with a small car park and bike racks adjacent to the latter. As well as the footbridge between the platforms, there is also step-free access to both platforms (from the car park to platform 1 and from the level crossing to platform 2).[7] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.
Platform layout
The station has a passing loop 35 chains (700 m) long, with two platforms. Platform 1 on the southbound line can accommodate trains having seven coaches, whereas platform 2 on the northbound line can hold eleven. Beyond here the line is double track as far as Dalwhinnie.[4]
Passenger volume
| 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 | 8,613 | 11,708 | 11,896 | 10,491 | 10,443 | 10,580 | 11,572 | 13,948 | 12,608 | 14,280 | 14,084 | 16,062 | 16,652 | 17,598 | 19,802 | 21,008 | 18,388 | 3,688 | 11,870 | 13,402 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
As of the May 2022 timetable, on weekdays and Saturdays there are 5 trains per day northbound (all going to Inverness), and 6 trains per day southbound (three to Glasgow Queen Street, two to Edinburgh and the southbound Caledonian Sleeper, picking up only, weekdays only). A reduced service operates on Sundays, with 3 trains per day to Inverness (1 of which extends to Elgin), and 2 trains to Glasgow and 2 trains to Edinburgh, including the Highland Chieftain to London Kings Cross, as well as the Caledonian Sleeper.[9]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitlochry | London North Eastern Railway Sundays, Southbound Only Highland Main Line | Newtonmore | ||
| Pitlochry | ScotRail Highland Main Line | Dalwhinnie or Newtonmore or Kingussie | ||
| Pitlochry | Caledonian Sleeper Highland Caledonian Sleeper Southbound only | Dalwhinnie | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Killiecrankie Line open; station closed | Highland Railway Inverness and Perth Junction Railway | Black Island Platform Line open; station closed | ||
See also
References
Bibliography
- Quick, Michael (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
External links
- Train times and station information for Blair Atholl railway station from National Rail