 The platforms at Brora, looking south | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Brora, Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 58°00′47″N 3°51′08″W / 58.0131°N 3.8523°W / 58.0131; -3.8523 | ||||
| Grid reference | NC906041 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BRA[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Duke of Sutherland's Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 November 1870[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  648 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  4,722 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4,594 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 5,990 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 5,836 | ||||
Listed Building – Category C(S) | |||||
| Designated | 23 July 1987 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB571[4] | ||||
| |||||
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Brora railway station (/ˈbrɔːrə/) is a railway station serving the small town of Brora in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line, 90 miles 48 chains (145.8 km) from Inverness, between Dunrobin Castle and Helmsdale.[5] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.
History
The station opened on 1 November 1870.[3][6] The former station buildings are now unused but together with the cast iron footbridge are a listed building.[4]
In the early 1870s the Duke of Sutherland opened a coal mine and adjacent brickworks at Brora which were connected by a tramway to sidings just north of Brora station.[7]
In 1895 new station buildings were erected, probably designed by the engineer William Roberts.[4]
In 2019, plans were announced by a local businessperson to redevelop the station building into "a micro gin distillery, café bar, tourist information point and gift shop", at a cost of £500,000.[8]
Facilities
The station has basic facilities, including waiting shelters on both platforms, and a small car park and bike racks adjacent to platform 2. Both platforms have step-free access, but are also connected by a footbridge.[9]
Passenger volume
The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Brora station in the 2022/23 period was Inverness, making up 1,352 of the 4,594 journeys (29.43%).[10]
| 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 | 4,024 | 3,462 | 3,483 | 3,277 | 3,723 | 4,660 | 5,614 | 5,780 | 5,164 | 5,556 | 6,380 | 5,616 | 5,524 | 5,616 | 5,994 | 6,992 | 6,354 | 648 | 4,722 | 4,594 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
There are four departures each weekday & Saturday, and one each way on a Sunday. Trains run northbound to Wick via Thurso and southbound to Lairg, Dingwall and Inverness.[11]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunrobin Castle or Golspie |
ScotRail Far North Line |
Helmsdale | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Dunrobin Castle Line and station open |
Highland Railway Duke of Sutherland's Railway |
Loth Line open, station closed | ||
References
- ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
- ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b Quick 2022, p. 104.
- ^ a b c "BRORA RAILWAY STATION AND FOOT BRIDGE". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ 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. 103. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
- ^ "Duke of Sutherland's Railway. Opening of the Line between Dunrobin and West Helmsdale". Inverness Courier. Scotland. 27 October 1870. Retrieved 5 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "An Enterprising Duke". Cork Daily Herald. Ireland. 29 December 1874. Retrieved 5 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Station in line for £500k revamp". Northern Times. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
Bibliography
- 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.
- 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 11 May 2023.
External links
- Train times and station information for Brora railway station from National Rail
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