Muir of Ord railway station explained

Muir of Ord
Native Name:Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Am Blàr Dubh
Symbol Location:gb
Symbol:rail
Borough:Muir of Ord, Highland
Country:Scotland
Coordinates:57.5175°N -4.4602°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Manager:ScotRail
Platforms:2
Code:MOO[1]
Original:Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pregroup:Highland Railway
Postgroup:LMS
Years:11 June 1862
Events:Opened[2]
Years1:13 June 1960
Events1:Closed
Years2:4 October 1976
Events2:Reopened
Footnotes:Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Muir of Ord railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line, serving the village of Muir of Ord in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is 13miles from, between Beauly and Conon Bridge, and is the location of the sole remaining passing loop on the single line between and .[3]

History

Muir of Ord railway station was once the junction of a branch railway to . The station building and platform canopy were erected in 1894,[4] 32 years after the station itself opened. Passenger services on the branch ceased on 1 October 1951, but the branch remained open for freight until 13 June 1960. Muir of Ord station was closed on 13 June 1960 but reopened in 1976, on 4 October.

After the railway bridge across the River Ness washed away in February 1989, isolating the entire network north of, Muir of Ord was chosen as the location for a temporary depot, from which the stranded rolling stock could operate the service to the highland communities which depended on the line.[5]

In November 2015, work commenced on a new A862 road bridge at the northern end of the station.[6]

Facilities

Both platforms have modern waiting shelters and benches, with step-free access. There is a car park and bike racks adjacent to platform 1, along with a help point near to the entrance from the car park.[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 32chain long, flanked by two platforms which can each accommodate a ten-coach train.

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Muir of Ord[8] !!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 exits22,05524,36524,78332,57339,20051,10457,39662,42874,46274,06472,83266,57666,48064,48064,82067,55470,85013,55641,23047,688
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

As of the December 2021 timetable, on weekdays and Saturdays, the station sees 12 trains northbound (4 to Wick via Thurso, 4 to Kyle of Lochalsh, 1 to Dingwall, 1 to Invergordon, 1 to Ardgay and 1 to Tain), and 14 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.[9]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Deaves . Phil . Railway Codes . railwaycodes.org.uk . 27 September 2022.
  2. Butt (1995)
  3. Book: TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain . Platform 5 Publishing Ltd . 2017 . 978-1909431-26-3 . Bridge . Mike . 3rd . Sheffield . 99.
  4. The Buildings of Scotland, Highland and Islands. John Gifford. Yale University Press. 1992.
  5. Book: Caton, Peter . Remote Stations . Matador . 2018 . 978-1-78901-408-2 . Leicestershire . 242.
  6. Web site: Rooney . Richard . Work to start next month on vital Highland bridge replacement . 2022-09-17 . Press and Journal . 14 October 2015 . en-GB.
  7. Web site: National Rail Enquiries - . 2022-04-08 . www.nationalrail.co.uk.
  8. Web site: Estimates of station usage ORR Data Portal . 26 December 2023 . dataportal.orr.gov.uk.
  9. eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219