Banavie railway station

Banavie

Scottish Gaelic: Banbhaidh[1]
National Rail
The platform at Banavie with Ben Nevis's peak covered in cloud and snow.
General information
LocationBanavie, Highland
Scotland
Coordinates56°50′38″N 5°05′46″W / 56.8439°N 5.0960°W / 56.8439; -5.0960
Grid referenceNN112767
Managed byScotRail
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeBNV[2]
History
Original companyMallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLNER
Key dates
1 April 1901Station opened[3]
Passengers
2019/20Decrease 6,260
2020/21Decrease 1,056
2021/22Increase 4,228
2022/23Increase 4,284
2023/24Increase 6,798
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Banavie railway station is a railway station on the West Highland Line serving the village of Banavie, although it is much closer to Caol, Scotland. It is sited between Corpach and Fort William, 0 miles 22 chains (0.44 km) from Banavie Junction, just north of Fort William.[4] To continue on to the next station at Corpach, trains must pass over the Caledonian Canal at Neptune's Staircase, a popular tourist attraction. ScotRail provide all services at, and manage, the station.

History

The station in 1961

Banavie station opened along with the Mallaig Extension Railway on 1 April 1901.[5] It comprises a single platform on the north side of the line. The station was host to a LNER camping coach from 1936 to 1939.[6]

Another station named "Banavie" existed above the Neptune's Staircase flight of locks, which was opened in 1895. It was later renamed Banavie Pier railway station and closed fully to passengers in September 1939.[3]

Facilities

The single platform is equipped with a shelter (inside which is a payphone), a bench and some bike racks, the latter located in the car park. There is step-free access to the car park.[7] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Banavie[8]
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 2021–22 2022–23
Entries and exits 2,918 2,514 2,688 3,066 4,037 4,208 4,478 5,056 5,328 6,542 5,672 5,918 6,344 5,852 6,468 6,462 6,260 1,056 4,228 4,284

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

A train approaching the station, seen in 2014

On weekdays and Saturdays, four trains a day call here in either direction. Travelling eastbound, three of them are through trains to Glasgow Queen Street, whilst the other terminates at Fort William and connects with the Caledonian Sleeper service to London Euston.[9][10]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Fort William   ScotRail
West Highland Line 		  Corpach
  Historical railways  
Fort William
Line and Station open 		  North British Railway
Mallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway
   Corpach
Line and Station open

See also

References

  1. ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Quick 2023, p. 66.
  4. ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 90. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
  5. ^ Butt 1995, p. 26.
  6. ^ McRae 1997, p. 11.
  7. ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 218
  10. ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 218

Bibliography

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