Forres railway station
Forres 
|
|
|---|---|
_geograph-3525445-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
The station in 1997, looking eastward towards Elgin and Aberdeen
|
|
| Location | |
| Place | Forres |
| Local authority | Moray |
| Coordinates | 57°36′35″N 3°37′33″W / 57.6097°N 3.6258°WCoordinates: 57°36′35″N 3°37′33″W / 57.6097°N 3.6258°W |
| Grid reference | NJ029589 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | FOR |
| Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
| Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries |
|
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2011/12 |
 0.114 million |
| 2012/13 |
0.118 million |
| 2013/14 |
0.124 million |
| 2014/15 |
0.131 million |
| 2015/16 |
 0.131 million |
| History | |
| Original company | Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway |
| Post-grouping | LMS |
| 25 March 1858 | Opened by Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway |
| 3 August 1863 | New station opened by Highland Railway |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Forres from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 |
|
Forres railway station serves the town of Forres, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed by Abellio ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.
Although Forres is still serving passenger trains to the east and west, it was once possible to travel south on the railway to Perth via Dava on the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway, meeting with the GNSR (via Craigellachie) at Boat of Garten station.
Prior to the Dava route opening, all services to the south began at Aberdeen (on the north-east coast). Problems occurred when connecting at Aberdeen from Inverness trains - Aberdeen was the terminus for two railway companies, and therefore had two separate stations: One served the east and the other was the starting point for services to the south (via the coast). Although they were connected by a bus, connections were often missed and passengers remained stranded after missing the daily connection south.
Plans for a more direct route via Carrbridge had been rejected by parliament as too ambitious. Engineer Joseph Mitchell planned an alternative route via Dava and work was completed on the line by August 1863.
Forres was chosen as the junction for the new mainline south, since it was the half-way point on the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway between Inverness and Keith. Keith was also an important railway junction and the point where the line joined the GNSR and branches to the coast and Strathspey.
The first railway station in Forres which was located at the end of Invererne Road. On the OS map for 1863, this road is named appropriately 'Old Station Road'.
The station building was located between the current track and signal box, and the former goods loop (which was the original main line, before the junction was constructed). This served trains from Inverness to connect with the GNSR in Elgin. The station building was demolished in the 1950s. It had been used as the stationmaster's house since the junction opened.
...
Wikipedia