ScotRail has announced the re-opening of some Highland rail services.
(Permalink) Dingwall Elgin Inverness Kyle of Lochalsh Tain

The A90 is scheduled to reopen to traffic travelling northbound as far as Forfar and southbound as far as Brechin on Monday.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Elgin

Some train services remain off on Sunday despite the end of a red weather warning for north-east Scotland.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Dundee Elgin Far North Line Fife Circle route Kyle Line

The route had been badly affected by Storm Babet. Disruption continues elsewhere in the north.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Elgin Far North Line Highland Main Line Storm Babet Tain

The works will impact Inverness-Aberdeen, Kyle and Far North services at different weekends in October.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Elgin Engineering Works Far North Line Forres Garve Helmsdale Inverness Kyle of Lochalsh Wick

Train users in Elgin are being offered a free bike for 24 hours.
(Permalink) Bicycle hire Brompton Bicycle Elgin Inverness Oban ScotRail

ScotRail is warning Highland commuters that a signalling fault on the line between Inverness and Aberdeen will be causing disruption this morning.
(Permalink) Elgin Inverness Signalling Fault

ScotRail has reopened the train line between Aberdeen and Inverness after it was closed earlier after due to debris.
(Permalink) Elgin Keith

A visually impaired man has set himself the task of visiting every mainline London tube station to give back to an Aberdeen charity.
(Permalink) Elgin Gary Ritchie London Underground North East Sensory Services

ScotRail has released plans to change the hours at its staffed ticket offices which could result in shorter opening times throughout the week. In the north and north-east, changes are proposed at stations including Huntly, Aviemore, Dingwall, Forres, Elgin, Keith, Kingussie and Nairn.

Many stations will have a change in the pattern of opening hours. The previous pattern was of Monday to Friday hours, which will now be replaced with Monday to Thursday hours with changes to the service on a Friday.
(Permalink) Aviemore Dingwall Elgin Forres Huntly Keith Kingussie Nairm Opening hours Ticket offices

ScotRail's new timetable heralds potentially good news for Moray workers who commute to Inverness. However, anyone planning a night out in the Highland capital will still be forced to trail back home again well before the pubs shut. The rail company has announced an extra early morning train to Inverness in its new timetable, which will come into effect from December 12.
(Permalink) Elgin Inverness

Disruption at the railway level crossing in Elgin is due to continue for another week.
(Permalink) Elgin The Wards Level Crossing

A road closure will be in force until next week due to a fault with the railway level crossing in Elgin.
(Permalink) Elgin The Wards Level Crossing

Folding bicycles have been made available to hire from Elgin railway station to encourage people to use pedal power.
(Permalink) Bicycles Elgin

Network Rail Scotland has announced that there are currently speed restrictions across train tracks in Scotland as a result of the heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent days.
(Permalink) Blair Atholl Croy Dunkeld Elgin Flooding Garnqueen North Junction Gartcosh Glasgow Queen Street High Level Keith ScotRail Sighthill East Junction Speed Restrictions Springburn

After trespassers were witnessed on the line near to Keith.
(Permalink) Elgin Keith Trespass

Engineers dealing with severe floods on the Inverness-Aberdeen line are still unable to do a full inspection sparking fears of more disruption.
(Permalink) Elgin Forres

Disruption for passengers on Inverness-Aberdeen line until at least Saturday. Part of the track has been damaged between Forres and Elgin with services out of Inverness terminating in Forres, and journeys from Aberdeen ending at Elgin.
(Permalink) Elgin Flooding Forres

Rail services on the Kyle Line have resumed after a landslip was cleared overnight, but flooding has washed away track on the Inverness-Aberdeen line.
(Permalink) Dingwall Elgin Flooding Forres Landslip

Damaged track on the Inverness-Aberdeen line sparked the closure of the route this morning.
(Permalink) Elgin

Commuters in Moray have hit out at a timetable shake-up poised to reduce the amount of morning trains. A review of connections from Elgin to Inverness is due to remove one of the early shuttle services between the stations from next month.
(Permalink) Elgin Inverness Timetabling

Rail passengers travelling on the Inverness-Aberdeen line face possible disruption over the next two weekends.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Dyce Elgin Huntly Insch Inverness Inverurie Keith Kintore Nairn

Plans to build a new £10 million bridge in Elgin have been pushed back five years amid hopes the upgraded A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road will stop traffic in the town grinding to a halt.
(Permalink) A96 Elgin

The HiTrans Autumn Newsletter contains many interesting railway items.



Elgin: the loop is being extended at the west end over Wards Road. Signal control is passing to Inverness. New power points will give access to Elgin Yard which will become a ScotRail overnight stabling depot.



Forres: The new two-platform station is due for completion soon, allowing trains to cross without delay. Waterford level crossing is to be closed, with access via the new bridge over the railway at the new station.



Inverness Airport, Dalcross: Provision of a new railway stop at Inverness Airport is dependent on closure of the Dalcross (Petty) level
crossing. The Case for Closure is being drawn up by Network Rail.



Inverness Rail East: Given the scale of developments east of the A9, HITRANS proposed to investigate the feasibility of providing stations at
Seafield, Inverness Campus/Beechwood, and Stratton.



Inverness Railway Station: The £6 million upgrade of the railway station featuring improvements to the faade and concourse and introduction of
new retail outlets is under way.



At Rose Street, work is under way to create new fuelling and CET (toilet tanking) facilities for the new Virgin Trains East Coast Inter-City Express
trains. Further work will entail the provision of shore supplies to the platforms.



Invergordon: Talks are being held with ScotRail regarding a possible upgrade of the Inverness-bound platform (currently under the eaves) and
new signage to benefit passengers from cruise liners berthed at the port looking for independent off-boat excursions.

(Permalink) Dalcross Elgin Forres Invergordon Inverness Inverness Airport New station

The principal contractor for the £170m upgrade of the Aberdeen to Inverness rail line has been appointed.
BAM will carry out the work, the first phase of which is due for completion in 2019.
A half-hourly commuter service between Aberdeen and Inverurie will be introduced, along with additional peak services between Inverness and Elgin.
Infrastructure will be installed to allow new stations to be built at Dalcross and Kintore.
(Permalink) Aberdeen BAM Dalcross Elgin Inverness Inverness Airport Kintore New station

A £170m investment package has been confirmed by First Minister Alex Salmond for the Inverness to Aberdeen railway.
Over the next five years, there will be a redoubling of the track between Aberdeen and Inverurie.
Platforms at Insch and Elgin will be extended to accommodate six-car trains.
Signalling improvements will be made at Elgin, the station at Forres relocated and work done so new stations can be built at Kintore and Dalcross.
Kintore's original station was closed in the 1960s. Dalcross is close to Inverness Airport.
Future phases of the scheme will support an hourly service between the cities with average journey time reducing to about two hours, it was announced.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Dalcross Elgin Forres Insch Inverness Inverness Airport Kintore New station

Calls to raise HGV speed limits on the A9 could damage plans to boost train services, says David Spaven.
I was delighted to witness the launch of the Lifting the Spirit trial whisky train service from Elgin to Grangemouth last month - a tangible example of how rail could be attracting freight away from Scotland's trunk roads.
In the longer term, the new train service has the potential to secure a significant freight modal switch away from the A95 and A9 roads on to rail services to Central Scotland. But, worryingly, moves to increase lorry speed limits on the A9 could undermine this innovative attempt to take advantage of safer and more sustainable rail freight.
Lifting the Spirit is a collaboration between big distilling companies such as Diageo and Pernod Ricard, the rail industry, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, local authorities and the European Union Foodport project to improve the logistics of food and drink distribution and to cut carbon emissions. An added incentive is that the initiative might help to cut the toll of fatalities and injuries on the A9.
(Permalink) A9 A95 David Spaven Elgin Grangemouth

The whisky industry on Speyside is starting a two-month trial to improve the use of rail freight with the aim of reducing road traffic and emissions.
Two weekly trains will replace 29 lorry trips to take whisky to Grangemouth.
Casks and grain will be transported north in the same containers.
Several producers are working on the Lifting the Spirit project, alongside Highlands and Island Enterprise, Moray Council, and the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership.
The trains are running from Elgin, and HIE is investing £30,000 in the project.
(Permalink) Elgin Grangemouth

Railtrack


Post Hatfield Crash repairs


On the 15th there were three locations affected by Gauge Corner Cracking.

200 points and 75,000 yards of track have been renewed.


Junction remodeling


40 junctions which are known to be bottlenecks are to be remodeled.


Speed restrictions


As of the 15th 53 speed restrictions existed in Scotland.


New station facilities and station regeneration


81 stations have been identified for new toilets.

New Information Systems (CIS) will be installed at Hyndland, Partick and Queen Street Low Level.

Partick station is to be refurbished and platforms resurfaced.

Gourock station is due to be rebuilt and Railtrack is in discussion with developers.

Perth station is to be regenerated with footbridges and canopies renewed.

Broughty Ferry has been rebuilt at the cost of £1,000,000.


Train Protection Warning System


Installation of Train Protection Warning System on Scotland's railways and trains continues and is expected to be complete by December 2002.


Edinburgh Crossrail


The contracts for the Edinburgh Crossrail scheme (reopening of freight only route from Portobello to Brunstane and Newcraighall to passengers) have been signed with the council and contractors.


Stirling to Alloa and Dunfermline


The details of reopening the closed but mostly extant line from Stirling to Alloa and on to Kincardine have not yet been resolved.


Larkhall to Milngavie


Although there have been some doubts about the reopening of the closed line between Larkhall and Hamilton, Railtrack and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive are continuing discussions.


Aberdeen to Inverness improvements


Railtrack is considering its options for improving capacity of the Aberdeen to Inverness line.


A loop may be opened at Orton.


Forres loop may be altered to run by the Forres goods loop and a two platform station opened on the loop.


Signalboxes between Elgin and Nairn may be closed.


Proposals will be drawn up to 'level 4' (complete design) and given to the Strategic Rail Authority by the end of the year. Actual changes will be delayed as work on signaling is being focused on installing Train Protection Warning System until December 2002.


Members of the RPC and public suggested that perhaps a section of double track at the beginning of the route in Aberdeen and Inverness would help - such as that which the Inverness and Perth has. It was also commented that the station at Keith can be a bottleneck as the loop is located to the east of the station - a train at the station has to occupy the Keith to Elgin section and consequently trains have to be held at Keith loop or Elgin loop when there is a train at the station.


Cornton Level Crossing


Cornton Level crossing, by Stirling, is fitted with cameras which photograph every road vehicle which passes through the lights at red. 250 vehicles were photographed between January and May this year, many belonging to local people. The crossing has been checked and complies to safety standards. The council and Railtrack are considering further traffic calming options including permanent closure of the road.


Ninewells


The council in Dundee is considering opening a station at Ninewells which would serve new developments in the area, the airport and Ninewells Hospital.


Tay Bridge repair


Repairs to the Tay Bridge are due to be complete in 2003 and will allow higher speed running on the bridge and freight to pass over it.


Edinburgh Park


Railtrack and New Edinburgh Ltd have resolved difficulties and a station at Edinburgh Park can now be built. It could be open by 2003.
(Permalink) Alloa Brunstane Cornton Level Crossing Crash Edinburgh Crossrail Elgin Forres Glasgow Queen Street Hatfield Hyndland Larkhall Nairn New station Newcraighall Ninewells Partick Perth Portobello Railtrack TPWS Tay Bridge