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| Fort William | |
| An Gearasdan | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Place | Fort William |
| Local authority | Highland |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Operations | |
| Station code | FTW |
| Managed by | First ScotRail |
| Platforms in use | 2 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail | |
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 114,211 |
| 2005/06 * | 115,417 |
| 2006/07 * | 115,510 |
| History | |
| Original company | British Railways |
| 13 June 1975 | Station opened1 |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Fort William from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. | |
Fort William railway station is a railway station serving the town of Fort William in the Highland region of Scotland.
Contents |
History
The present Fort William station opened on 13 June 1975. It replaced the original terminus which was further west and alongside Loch Linnhe 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 an unattractive 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 recentlycitation needed 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
The Caledonian Sleeper starts and terminates here.
As part of the West Highland Line, the station sees 6 trains in each direction per day, being 4 standard trains, The Jacobite and the Caledonian Sleeper. Of the standard First ScotRail trains, 3 a day run from Glasgow via Fort William and on to Mallaig, with one running just 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 Glenfinnan and Arisaig. Finally, the Caledonian Sleeper arrives early-morning from London via Edinburgh, and leaves early-evening along the same route.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spean Bridge | First ScotRail West Highland Line |
Terminus | ||
| Banavie | First ScotRail West Highland Line |
|||
| Spean Bridge | First ScotRail Highland Caledonian Sleeper |
Terminus | ||
| Glenfinnan | West Coast Railway Company The Jacobite May-October |
Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Spean Bridge Line and Station open |
North British Railway |
Terminus | ||
| Banavie Pier Line mostly open; station closed |
North British Railway |
|||
| Banavie Line and Station open |
North British Railway |
Terminus | ||
Signalling
Since its opening in 1975, the present Fort William station has been equipped with colour light signals. 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.
References
Notes
- ^ Butt (1995)
Sources
- 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 Edition, Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day, 1st, Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas, 1st, Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687.
- RAILSCOT on West Highland Railway
- RAILSCOT on Mallaig Extension Railway
- Photographs of a steam train at the station
