Contents

Conon Bridge railway station

Conon Bridge Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid Sguideil[citation needed]
The platform at Conon Bridge, looking south
General information
Location	Conon Bridge, Highland Scotland
Coordinates	57°33′42″N 4°26′25″W / 57.5617°N 4.4404°W / 57.5617; -4.4404
Grid reference	NH540550
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	CBD[1]
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
11 June 1862	Opened as Conon[2]
13 June 1960	Closed[2]
8 February 2013	Reopened as Conon Bridge
Passengers
2018/19	17,530
2019/20	18,022
2020/21	2,598
2021/22	9,212
2022/23	10,898
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Conon Bridge is a railway station on the Far North and Kyle of Lochalsh Lines, which serves the villages of Conon Bridge and Maryburgh in the Scottish Highlands. Initially known as Conon, it originally closed in 1960 and reopened on 8 February 2013. The station is 16 miles 21 chains (26.2 km) from Inverness, between Muir of Ord and Dingwall.^[3]

History[edit]

Original station[edit]

The original railway station (then named just Conon) was opened by Inverness and Ross-shire Railway on 11 June 1862^[2] and closed on 13 June 1960.^[2] The original station had two platforms and was the junction with the partially constructed Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway.

2013 reopening[edit]

The rebuilt station was projected to open by 2012 as Conon Bridge.^[4][5] In March 2012, Network Rail revealed that agreement had been reached with the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership for it to provide £100,000 towards the construction of a single four-carriage platform at the station site.^[6] The new station was forecast to handle 36,000 passengers a year, including tourists and commuters to Inverness.^[6]

In September 2012, Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown announced that a new station, expected to cost £600,000, would be built in time for a February 2013 opening, in time to help relieve traffic during the delayed £18 million pound resurfacing works to be carried out on the Kessock Bridge.^[7]

Construction was begun in November 2012 by Network Rail. A single platform around 15 metres long (similar to that at nearby Beauly railway station^[8]) was provided, together with a new waiting shelter, passenger information systems, cycle racks and lockers and a new car park, wider road access and enhanced street lighting.^[9] The project was supported by Highland Council, HiTRANS, Network Rail and First ScotRail.^[10] It reopened as scheduled and on budget on 8 February 2013.^[9][11] In the month following the station's opening, more than 2,000 journeys were made to or from it.^[12] According to Minister for Transport Keith Brown, the numbers "show that it was an extremely worthwhile investment".^[12]

Facilities[edit]

The station has only basic facilities, these being a small waiting shelter, a car park, bike racks and a help point.^[13] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Platform layout[edit]

The station has a single platform which is long enough for a one-coach train.^[14]

Passenger volume[edit]

The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Conon Bridge station in the 2022/23 period was Inverness, making up 6,352 of the 10,898 journeys (58.29%).^[15]

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services[edit]

As of the December 2021 timetable, on weekdays and Saturdays, the station sees 11 trains northbound (3 to Wick via Thurso, 4 to Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 to Dingwall, 1 to Invergordon, 1 to Ardgay and 1 to Tain), and 13 trains southbound to Inverness. On Sundays, the station sees 6 trains northbound (1 to Wick, 1 to Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 to Invergordon and 3 to Tain), and 6 trains southbound.^[16]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Muir of Ord		ScotRail Far North Line Kyle of Lochalsh line		Dingwall
	Historical railways
Muir of Ord		Highland Railway Inverness and Ross-shire Railway		Dingwall
Alcaig		Highland Railway Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway		Terminus

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• 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.
• 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.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conon Bridge railway station.

• Train times and station information for Conon Bridge railway station from National Rail