Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland
.
on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway
, the line was opened in stages:
Originally the intention was to connect with the Great North of Scotland Railway
(GNoSR) at Elgin, however the GNoSR offered to pay for the railway to be built to Keith.
During its short life, the following railways were absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR).
The railway merged with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
to form the Highland Railway
on 1 February 1865.
. However the majority of stations are now closed. All the connections to adjacent lines are also closed, with the exception of the Hopeman Branch which is open for freight traffic to Burghead.
The old station at Forres is closed and only one platform out of the previous six at the new station at Forres
is now in service. The Keith and Dufftown Railway
platform at Keith Junction
is still in use.
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
It was authorised by an Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway
Inverness and Nairn Railway
The Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
, the line was opened in stages:
- Nairn to Dalvey (Forres) - 22 December 1857
- Dalvey to Elgin - 25 March 1858
- Elgin to Keith - 18 August 1858
Originally the intention was to connect with the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
(GNoSR) at Elgin, however the GNoSR offered to pay for the railway to be built to Keith.
During its short life, the following railways were absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR).
- Inverness and Nairn RailwayInverness and Nairn RailwayThe Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
on 17 May 1861 - Findhorn Railway on 1 April 1862
- Inverness and Ross-shire RailwayInverness and Ross-shire RailwayThe Inverness and Ross-shire Railway was incorporated on 3 July 1860 with the aim to build a line to Invergordon. The line opened in stages:* 11 June 1862 - Inverness to Dingwall* 23 March 1863 - Dingwall to Invergordon...
on 1 June 1862
The railway merged with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres and Perth and Dunkeld Railway, ultimately absorbing the latter.- History :...
to form the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
on 1 February 1865.
Findhorn Railway
The Findhorn Railway was incorporated in 1859 and ran from Kinloss branching off the I&AJR from the east. It operated as an independent concern until the company had money problems which resulted in it being taken over by the I&AJR. However this reprieve did not last long as the service was withdrawn in 1869, and the route lifted in 1873. Little remains of the track bed, partly because of the construction of the RAF base, Kinloss, over its route. Its junction with the mainline can be still be traced and is overgrown with a group of pine trees.Connections to other lines
- Inverness and Nairn RailwayInverness and Nairn RailwayThe Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
at NairnNairn railway stationNairn railway station is a railway station serving the town of Nairn in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.- Services :... - Inverness and Perth Junction RailwayInverness and Perth Junction RailwayThe Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres and Perth and Dunkeld Railway, ultimately absorbing the latter.- History :...
at ForresForres railway stationForres railway station serves the town of Forres, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.... - Morayshire RailwayMorayshire RailwayThe Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from...
at ElginElgin railway stationElgin railway station is a railway station serving the town of Elgin, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....
and Orton - Buckie and Portessie BranchBuckie and Portessie BranchBuckie and Portessie Branch is an historic railway in Scotland which was built as part of the Highland Railway.-History:* 1 August 1884 - Opened to Buckie* 1 May 1886 - Opened to Portessie Junction and connected to the Moray Coast Railway...
of the Highland RailwayHighland RailwayThe Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
at Keith JunctionKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:... - Keith and Dufftown RailwayKeith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran between Dufftown and Keith. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866.-History:...
at Keith JunctionKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:... - Great North of Scotland RailwayGreat North of Scotland RailwayThe Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
at Keith JunctionKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:...
Current operations
The main line is still open with services provided by First ScotRailFirst 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...
. However the majority of stations are now closed. All the connections to adjacent lines are also closed, with the exception of the Hopeman Branch which is open for freight traffic to Burghead.
The old station at Forres is closed and only one platform out of the previous six at the new station at Forres
Forres railway station
Forres railway station serves the town of Forres, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....
is now in service. The Keith and Dufftown Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran between Dufftown and Keith. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866.-History:...
platform at Keith Junction
Keith railway station
Keith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:...
is still in use.