The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway

Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway

Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...

 at Forres

Forres

Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...

 and Perth and Dunkeld Railway

Perth and Dunkeld Railway

The Perth and Dunkeld Railway was built from Stanley Junction on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway to Birnam, on the opposite bank of the River Tay to Dunkeld.-History:...

, ultimately absorbing the latter.

History

The Act of Parliament was passed on 22 July 1861, with the line being opened between Dunkeld and Pitlochry on 1 June 1863, between Forres and Aviemore on 3 August 1863 and the final section to Aviemore and Pitlochry on 9 September 1863.

It combined with the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway

Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway

Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...

 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. The line became part of the LMS

London, Midland and Scottish Railway

The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...

 in 1923.

Aberfeldy Branch

The Aberfeldy Branch was authorised under the original Act of Parliament, being opened on 3 July 1865, just after the formation of the Highland Railway.

Closure

The Aberfeldy Branch was closed on 3 May 1965, just short of its centenary. The line between Forres and Aviemore closed on 11 October 1965.

Strathspey Railway

Following closure of the section north of Aviemore, there were moves to re-open the line between Aviemore and Grantown on Spey (West). The Strathspey Railway has progressively reopened the line north from Aviemore, with the current terminus at Broomhill. They hope to reach Grantown on Spey within the next few years; however, the impressive 1897 station at Grantown on Spey (West) was demolished in the early 1980s and a new terminus will have to be built on an adjacent site.

Connections to other lines

• Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
  Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
  Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
  
   at
• Strathspey Railway
  Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)
  Strathspey Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran from Boat of Garten to Dufftown.-History:The line was opened on 1 July 1863 between Dufftown and Abernethy . It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866...
  
   at
• Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway
  Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway
  The Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway was built by the Highland Railway to provide a direct route between Inverness and Aviemore.-History:...
  
   at
• Perth and Dunkeld Railway
  Perth and Dunkeld Railway
  The Perth and Dunkeld Railway was built from Stanley Junction on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway to Birnam, on the opposite bank of the River Tay to Dunkeld.-History:...
  
   at

Current operations

The line is still open as part of the Highland Main Line

Highland Main Line

The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...

 between and operated by First ScotRail

First 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...

, and as part of the restored Strathspey Railway between Aviemore and .