railroad.wikisort.org - Station

Thurso railway station is a railway station located in Thurso, in the Highland council area in the far north of Scotland. It serves the town of Thurso and its surrounding areas in the historic county of Caithness. It is also the nearest station to the port of Scrabster (about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) to the northwest), which has ferry services linking the mainland with Stromness on the Orkney Islands. It is the northernmost station on the National Rail network.[3]

Thurso Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Theòrsa[1]
158701 departing Thurso bound for Inverness
General information
Location	Thurso, Highland Scotland
Coordinates	58.5900°N 3.5278°W / 58.5900; -3.5278
Grid reference	ND112679
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	THS[2]
History
Original company	Sutherland and Caithness Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	LMS
Key dates
28 July 1874	Opened
Passengers
2016/17	37,322
2017/18	39,174
2018/19	39,974
2019/20	39,702
2020/21	6,474
Listed Building – Category B
Designated	28 November 1984 (amended 15 December 1998)
Reference no.	Historic Scotland Building ID 42035
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station is situated at the end of a short branch line off the Far North Line. It is 6 miles 50 chains (10.7 km) down the line from Georgemas Junction (the other end of the branch), and 153 miles 70 chains (247.6 km) from Inverness.[4]

Thurso station is managed by ScotRail, which also operates all trains serving the station.

History

The station opened on 28 July 1874.[5] A wrought-iron turntable, 45 feet (14 m) in diameter, was built at the station by the Railway Steel and Plant Company of Manchester.[6]

The station was threatened with closure in the 1960s under the Beeching Axe.^{[citation needed]}

Until 2000, trains from Inverness would split in half at Georgemas Junction, with one portion going to Wick and the other to Thurso. In the age of locomotive-hauled trains prior to the introduction of diesel multiple units by British Rail, a locomotive was based at Georgemas Junction to take the Thurso portion to and from the junction. The practice of splitting trains ended when Class 158s were introduced on the line – since then all services run in full between Inverness and Wick via Thurso, in both directions, meaning they call at Georgemas Junction twice.[7]

Facilities

There is one platform, which is long enough to accommodate a nine-carriage train.[8] The station is fully wheelchair-accessible, but it is not monitored by CCTV.[9] The station has a ticket office, although there are no self-service ticket machines , except for some smartcard validators. Other facilities include: a small car park, a sheltered bike stand, a payphone, waiting rooms, toilets and a post box.[9]

There is a bus stop located directly outside the station,[9] although the majority of bus services call at the nearby Miller Academy stop, 150 metres (160 yd) to the north.

Passenger volume

Passenger volume at Thurso station[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	38,112	37,338	35,083	32,906	37,064	43,450	47,792	48,172	48,090	46,024	43,802	42,082	38,426	37,322	39,174	39,974	39,702	6,474

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

Despite being located at the end of the branch line, Thurso is not the terminus for any passenger services. On weekdays and Saturdays, the station is served by eight trains per day to Georgemas Junction, of which four continue to Inverness (via Helmsdale, Golspie, Lairg, Tain and Dingwall), and four continue to Wick. On Sundays the frequency drops to just two trains per day to Georgemas Junction, of which one goes to Inverness and one to Wick.[7]

An hourly shuttle between Wick and Thurso making use of Vivarail's Class 230 Battery Multiple Units has been proposed by the Friends of the Far North line, but to this date nothing has been confirmed.[11]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Georgemas Junction		ScotRail Far North Line		Georgemas Junction
	Historical railways
Terminus		Highland Railway Sutherland and Caithness Railway Thurso Branch		Hoy Line open, station closed

References

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.
• 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

• RAILSCOT article on Sutherland and Caithness Railway
• RAILSCOT page on Thurso
• ScotRail North Highlands Timetable

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