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Falls of Cruachan railway station is a railway station located at the foot of Ben Cruachan in Scotland. This station is on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line, originally part of the Callander and Oban Railway. It is sited between Taynuilt and Loch Awe, sited 52 miles 69 chains (85.1 km) from Callander via Glen Ogle.[3] ScotRail manage the station and operate all services.

Falls of Cruachan Scottish Gaelic: Eas Chruachain[1]
The station in May 2019
General information
Location	Ben Cruachan, Argyll and Bute Scotland
Coordinates	56.3940°N 5.1126°W / 56.3940; -5.1126
Grid reference	NN079267
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	FOC[2]
History
Original company	Callander and Oban Railway
Pre-grouping	Callander and Oban Railway operated by Caledonian Railway
Key dates
1 October 1893	Opened
1 November 1965	Closed
20 June 1988	Re-opened
25 October 2020	Closed (temporarily)
17 May 2021	Re-opened
Passengers
2016/17	734
2017/18	726
2018/19	538
2019/20	626
2020/21	134
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station (on the lower slopes of Ben Cruachan, above Loch Awe) opened on 1 October 1893 with a single platform, but was later closed on 1 November 1965.[4]

Reopening

The station was reopened on 20 June 1988.[4]

Signalling

Although Falls of Cruachan station has never had any signalling directly associated with it, its platform falls within the four mile stretch of railway that is protected by the Pass of Brander stone signals.

Accidents and incidents

The area near the station has been the site of five derailments due to the rock fall: in 1881, 1946, 1997, and in 2010, which proved the most significant.

On 6 June 2010, a two carriage train from Glasgow to Oban derailed near Falls of Cruachan station. The train derailed shortly before 8.53 p.m. and was left balanced precariously on a 15-metre (50 ft) embankment. There was also a minor fire. Sixty passengers had been on board the train, but all were safely evacuated down the line to the station with no major injuries.[5][6][7] Nine people were injured. The train hit a boulder that had fallen onto the track. The train crew later received a commendation for the actions they took to protect their passengers.[8]^{[better source needed]}

Facilities

The station has no facilities bar an electronic display and a bench. Surprisingly, there is no car park or drop-off point, as the only entrance is directly off the A85. The station does not have step-free access.[9] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train. Notably, as the station does not have lighting, trains cannot call between dusk and dawn.

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Falls of Cruachan[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
Entries and exits	68	124	108	154	160	218	204	200	258	244	498	654	734	734	726	538	626	134

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

All services at Falls of Cruachan are operated by ScotRail. However, unlike other stations on the line, the station is only open in the summer months from March to October every year. This is because the station is mainly used by hikers in the summer months, who walk past the falls to climb Ben Cruachan.

When the station is operational, there are five trains each way (eastbound to Glasgow Queen Street, westbound to Oban) on weekdays and Saturdays, along with four each way on Sundays.[11]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Loch Awe		ScotRail West Highland Line		Taynuilt
	Historical railways
Loch Awe Line and Station open		Callander and Oban Railway Operated by Caledonian Railway		Taynuilt Line and Station open

References

Bibliography

• 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.
• Fryer, Charles (1989). The Callander and Oban Railway. Oxford: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1377-X. OCLC 21870958.
• 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.

External links

• Video footage of Falls of Cruachan railway station

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