Fort William railway station
Encyclopedia
Fort William railway station is a railway station serving the town of Fort William
in the Highland region of Scotland
.
at Station Square, in close proximity to Macbraynes bus station and pier. The old station was a stone built construction featuring a turret and a double arched entranceway. The station had three platforms, and was demolished to make way for a new road. The station lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis
. The present station buildings are a 1970s grey concrete construction.
The station is on the West Highland Line
and the starting point for The Jacobite
, the only scheduled steam hauled train to run on the mainline in Great Britain.
Refurbishment of the facilities at Fort William railway station have recently been completed thanks to a £750,000 investment. The refurbishment includes new shower facilities and refurbished toilets. The shower facilities include two showers for ladies, two for gentlemen and one unisex shower facility for disabled people. Use of these shower facilities is free of charge for first class Caledonian Sleeper ticket holders and costs £3.50 for standard passengers and station users.
Anyone wishing to use the showers also receives a towel to use once they are finished showering, which is then returned to the staff in charge of the maintenance of the showers. The showers themselves are private cubicles to allow maximum possible privacy for customers.
(only summer months) and the Caledonian Sleeper
(Sundays to Fridays). Of the standard First ScotRail
trains, four a day run from Glasgow via Fort William and on to Mallaig, with two running from Fort William to Mallaig, timed to connect with the Caledonian Sleeper. The Jacobite runs from Fort William to Mallaig during the summer months, only stopping at and . Finally, the Caledonian Sleeper, which starts and terminates at Fort William, arrives early-morning from London via Edinburgh and leaves early-evening along the same route.
. The signalling
is controlled from an 'NX' (entrance-exit) panel in Mallaig Junction
signal box
(now named 'Fort William Junction'). The single line
between the junction and the station is worked by the Track Circuit Block system, so no tokens
are needed for that part of the route.
Fort William, Scotland
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
in the Highland region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
The present Fort William station opened on 13 June 1975. It replaced the original terminus which was further west and alongside Loch LinnheLoch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland....
at Station Square, in close proximity to Macbraynes bus station and pier. The old station was a stone built construction featuring a turret and a double arched entranceway. The station had three platforms, and was demolished to make way for a new road. The station lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
. The present station buildings are a 1970s grey concrete construction.
The station is on the West Highland Line
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
and the starting point for The Jacobite
The Jacobite (Steam Train)
The Jacobite is a steam locomotive hauled tourist train service that operates over part of the West Highland Railway Line in Scotland. It has been operating under various names and with different operators every summer since 1984...
, the only scheduled steam hauled train to run on the mainline in Great Britain.
Refurbishment of the facilities at Fort William railway station have recently been completed thanks to a £750,000 investment. The refurbishment includes new shower facilities and refurbished toilets. The shower facilities include two showers for ladies, two for gentlemen and one unisex shower facility for disabled people. Use of these shower facilities is free of charge for first class Caledonian Sleeper ticket holders and costs £3.50 for standard passengers and station users.
Anyone wishing to use the showers also receives a towel to use once they are finished showering, which is then returned to the staff in charge of the maintenance of the showers. The showers themselves are private cubicles to allow maximum possible privacy for customers.
Services
As part of the West Highland Line, the station sees eight trains in each direction per day, being four standard trains, The JacobiteThe Jacobite (Steam Train)
The Jacobite is a steam locomotive hauled tourist train service that operates over part of the West Highland Railway Line in Scotland. It has been operating under various names and with different operators every summer since 1984...
(only summer months) and the Caledonian Sleeper
Caledonian Sleeper
The Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
(Sundays to Fridays). Of the standard First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
trains, four a day run from Glasgow via Fort William and on to Mallaig, with two running from Fort William to Mallaig, timed to connect with the Caledonian Sleeper. The Jacobite runs from Fort William to Mallaig during the summer months, only stopping at and . Finally, the Caledonian Sleeper, which starts and terminates at Fort William, arrives early-morning from London via Edinburgh and leaves early-evening along the same route.
Signalling
Since its opening in 1975, the present Fort William station has been equipped with colour light signalsRailway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
. The signalling
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
is controlled from an 'NX' (entrance-exit) panel in Mallaig Junction
Fort William Junction
Fort William Junction is a railway junction on the West Highland Line in Scotland, located to the east of Fort William railway station. It is where the railway to Mallaig connects with the Glasgow to Fort William railway....
signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
(now named 'Fort William Junction'). The single line
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
between the junction and the station is worked by the Track Circuit Block system, so no tokens
Token (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...
are needed for that part of the route.