TheFar North Line is a rural railway line entirely within theHighland area ofScotland, extending fromInverness toThurso andWick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-track, with onlypassing loops at some intermediate stations allowing trains to pass each other. Like other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.
The line links the city ofInverness, the largest city in the Scottish Highlands, with the towns ofWick andThurso at the northeastern tip of Britain.
Like theA9 trunk road north of Inverness, the Far North Line broadly follows the east-facing coastline of theMoray Firth, with all three termini located on the coast. As such, the railway links many of the same places as the road.
Many more places were served by both the railway and the road before three new road bridges were built: across theBeauly Firth (between Inverness and theBlack Isle), theCromarty Firth and theDornoch Firth. As a result, at some locations the railway is now a long way inland from the modern route of the A9.
The railway also loops a long way inland betweenTain andGolspie, running viaLairg, which has never been on the A9; it was envisaged at the time of construction that this diversion would open the centre of Sutherland to trade. It also takes a large inland detour north ofHelmsdale, running via theFlow Country, which the A9 also never passed through; this diversion was dictated by the unfavourable terrain of the Caithness coastline.
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The railway line begins atInverness station,[A] where passenger connections are available for theHighland Main Line (toPerth,Glasgow,Edinburgh andLondon) and theAberdeen–Inverness line (toInverness Airport,Elgin andAberdeen), as well as for bus services to destinations throughout theScottish Highlands. While theA9 leaves Inverness by crossing theBeauly Firth on theKessock Bridge, the Far North Line instead heads west and runs alongside the Firth.
The single track crosses both theRiver Ness and theCaledonian Canal before it leaves Inverness and parallels theA862 road[a] towards the village ofBeauly. After 10 miles (16 km), the line crosses theRiver Beauly and then takes a sharp, almost 180° right turn (from a west-southwest heading to north-northeast);Beauly station[B] is located halfway along this curve. Closed in 1960, the station reopened in 2002[2] and its single operational platform has the distinction of being the shortest on theNational Rail network, at just 15.06 metres (49 ft 5 in).[3]
The line then carries on north, crossing the historic county boundary fromInverness-shire intoRoss and Cromarty just before reachingMuir of Ord station,[C] which has two platforms and is the site of the firstpassing loop on the line.[1] The line continues to parallel the A862 as it passes throughConon Bridge station,[D] which reopened in 2013 in a similar style to Beauly[4] and whose platform is just 2 centimetres (0.8 in) longer than that at Beauly. Shortly afterwards, the line crosses theRiver Conon and passes through the village ofMaryburgh before reachingDingwall station[E] – the busiest station on the line aside from Inverness, with just over 80 thousand passengers recorded in the 2019–20 financial year.[5]
At Dingwall Junction[F] just north of the station, theKyle of Lochalsh line diverges to the west.[6] The Far North Line, meanwhile, rejoins the coast and continues northeast along the shoreline of the Cromarty Firth; the railway meets the A9 again shortly after, at the north end of theCromarty Bridge.
The next station on the line isAlness,[G] which closed in 1960 but reopened 13 years later. After Alness the line turns gently eastwards to reachInvergordon station[H] before turning northeast again. The line continues in this direction for nearly 10 miles (16 km) without another station untilFearn.[I] Located approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) west ofHill of Fearn, the primary source of traffic at the station, it is also the nearest railway stop to theSeaboard Villages. The railway then takes a sharp turn to run northwest for approximately 3 miles (5 km) until it reachesTain station[J] on the south side of theDornoch Firth.
A short distance west ofTain, the Far North Line and the A9 part ways again – while the road crosses theDornoch Firth by means ofa 900-metre (3,000 ft) bridge,[b] the railway line instead follows the coast of the Firth. In fact, the railway does not return to an open coastline for another 40 route miles (64 km) untilGolspie, even though the distance between Tain and Golspieas the crow flies is only 11.1 miles (17.9 km). There have been many unsuccessful proposals to build a new, shorter railway line between the two villages viaDornoch,[c] which led to the existing route viaLairg being sometimes unofficially called the "Lairg loop".[7]
Soon after the A9 splits away, the line crosses thelieutenancy area boundary fromRoss and Cromarty intoSutherland. The track follows the route of theA836 until the next station on the line,Ardgay,[K] at the end of the Dornoch Firth. The station is in the village ofArdgay and also serves the slightly larger village ofBonar Bridge on the opposite side of theKyle of Sutherland.
From Ardgay, the line runs northwards alongside the Kyle, and after just over 3 miles (5 km) it reaches the first tworequest stops en route –Culrain[L] andInvershin,[M] which lie on either side of theInvershin Viaduct over the Kyle. At just 34 chains (680 m), the distance between these two stations is among the shortest in all of Britain.[8][d] There is no direct road connection between the two sides of the Kyle at this location, and a public footpath was only built alongside the viaduct in 2000; prior to this, the railway was the only way to travel between the two stations without taking a 7-mile-long (11 km) detour via Bonar Bridge. The Kyle once also marked the boundary between the historic counties ofRoss and Cromarty andSutherland; however, the modern boundary between the respectivelieutenancy areas lies several miles to the south, putting both stations in modern-day Sutherland.
The track then continues northwards along theRiver Shin for another 5.5 miles (8.9 km) until it reachesLairg station,[N] located about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south ofthe village itself. This is the furthest point away from the coast on the Lairg loop; beyond the station the line curves sharply eastwards and heads back towards the Moray Firth along Strath Fleet, now paralleling theA839 road. The line then passes through another request stop,Rogart,[O] which actually lies in the small hamlet ofPittentrail and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south ofRogart itself; the station briefly closed in 1960, only to be reopened less than 9 months later. Immediately east of the station there is anopen level crossing[1] – the only such crossing on the line. Four miles (6.4 km) after Rogart, the railway meets the A9 again, as it passes by Mound Alderwoods andLoch Fleet. This was once the site ofThe Mound station and a junction with theDornoch Light Railway to Dornoch;[10] both the station and the branch closed in 1960.[11] The railway then turns northeast and returns to the coast atGolspie, withthe station[P] located at the western end of the village.
Just east of Golspie, the line meetsDunrobin Castle station,[Q] which was built as a private, single-platform halt for theDuke of Sutherland to serveDunrobin Castle a short distance south of the track.[12] The station closed in 1965 but reopened in 1985;[12] today, the station is a public request stop, although it is only open during the summer months (one of only two such stations on the National Rail network, alongsideFalls of Cruachan elsewhere in Scotland),[13] corresponding to the castle's annual opening times.[14] The station is also notable for its lack of lighting; as such, no trains are scheduled to call at the platform before 9 am or after about 6 pm.[13]
The line continues along the coast for another 15 miles (24 km), occasionally coming just metres away from the shoreline, passing throughBrora station[R] before reaching the village ofHelmsdale, located at the mouth of theriver of the same name.Helmsdale station[S] lies on the other side of the river from most of the village.
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Beyond Helmsdale, the railway is forced to divert away from the Moray Firth coast and from the A9 once again, avoiding the unfavourable terrain of theOrd of Caithness. Instead, the line takes a sharp turn northwest and heads inland towards theFlow Country – the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. This is by far the most remote section of the entire line: the majority of the intermediate stations along this stretch arerequest stops,[13] and each station only serves a handful of isolated houses.
Initially, the single track follows the course of theStrath of Kildonan together with theA897.Kildonan station,[T] one of the least-used stations on the line,[5] lies approximately halfway along the Strath; the station was the site of a secondopen level crossing[1] until early 2022, when it was replaced with a more standardbarrier crossing (ABCL).[15] The far end of the Strath, close to the point where the A897 meets theB871 road, marks the location ofKinbrace station.[U]
Beyond Kinbrace, in stark contrast to the rest of the line (and most of theScottish Highlands), the topography of the surrounding area becomes flat and low-lying, and will remain so until the railway's two northern termini. The line carries on northwards alongside the A897 for seven and a half more miles (12.1 km) until it reachesForsinard station[V] which, despite its isolation, is not a request stop.[13] With two platforms, this station is the last place on the line where passenger trains running in opposite directions canpass each other.[1] The station serves theForsinard Flows National Nature Reserve, among other nearby parts of the Flow Country; anRSPB visitor centre is adjacent to the station platforms. At Forsinard, the line crosses the A897, turns east-northeast, and does not meet another public road for over 17 miles (27 km). Soon, the line leaves the county ofSutherland and entersCaithness.
As the track passes through Caithness countryside, it eventually reachesAltnabreac station.[W] This single-platform halt is often listed as one of Britain's most geographically isolated railway stations, being about 11 miles (18 km) from the nearest village and 6.8 miles (11 km) from the nearest paved road.[8] There are, however, a handful of houses in the immediate vicinity of the station, accessed by a privatedirt road, which is marked as a public cycle trail on Ordnance Survey maps.
The line then turns gently to the northeast, passing by several small lochs en route, before passing under the B870 road (the first public road close to the line since Forsinard). This is the site ofScotscalder station,[X] which is among the least-used stations on the line, typically averaging less than 1 passenger per day.[5] After another two and a half miles (4.0 km), the track passes south ofHalkirk – the first unscattered village in over 44 route miles (71 km), although there is no longer a railway station serving it (theold station[Y] having closed in 1960 along with 19 others on the line). The line reaches its penultimate station,Georgemas Junction,[Z] at the point where the line crosses the A9 again. Adjoining the station on the south side is a freight terminal built in 2012 byDirect Rail Services; this was used by trains taking nuclear material fromDounreay toSellafield.[16]
At Georgemas Junction, which is not a request stop, the lines toThurso andWick diverge; this is the northernmost railway junction in the United Kingdom.[1] The Wick-facing Thurso branch curves north immediately west of the station and runs alongside theRiver Thurso, paralleling the A9 until it reachesThurso station[AA] – the northernmost railway station in Britain, by the northern coast of Scotland. Thurso is the nearest station to the ferry terminal atScrabster, which hasferry services to and from the town ofStromness in theOrkney Islands. Meanwhile, the main line to Wick continues in an east-southeasterly direction, sandwiched between theA882 and B874 roads, and terminates atWick station[AB] on the east coast. At 18 miles 35 chains (29.7 km), the distance between Georgemas Junction and Wick is the longest between any two adjacent stations on the line,[1] although three other stations existed along this stretch until 1960. Wick is the nearest station toWick Airport as well as to the village ofJohn o' Groats (approximately 17 miles (27 km) to the north) at the northeastern tip of mainland Britain, which is linked to the town by a bus service operated byStagecoach Highlands.
The full line betweenInverness andWick (excluding the Thurso branch) is 161 miles 33 chains (259.8 km) long; theThurso branch has a length of 6 miles 50 chains (10.7 km).[1] The whole line isunelectrified.[1] Despite its considerable length and passing through the mostly mountainousScottish Highlands, there are no tunnels on the line.[1]
The line is almost entirely single-track, but there are 10 double-trackpassing loops along the route, which allow trains to pass each other: these are atMuir of Ord,Dingwall,Invergordon,Tain,Ardgay,Lairg,Rogart,Brora,Helmsdale andForsinard.[1] The loops at Rogart and Brora are not timetabled to be the passing place for any scheduled passenger services,[13] but they can be used as such during major disruption on the line.
The whole line north of the formerClunes station (about 7 miles (11 km) west of Inverness), together with theKyle of Lochalsh line, are signalled using theRadio Electronic Token Block system, which is very cost-effective in both implementation and maintenance, but significantly limits the capacity of the lines.[17]
Between 2022 and 2023, the Far North Line became the first railway line in the United Kingdom to implement a new "Press & Ride" system for itsrequest stops.[18]
Under the traditional system (still in use on the rest of theNational Rail network), passengers wishing to board the train at a request stop had to flag the train by raising their arm; this meant that the driver needed to reduce the train's speed before a request stop (to look out for any potential passengers on the platform and be able to stop if necessary), even if the platform was empty. The new system, developed byTransport Scotland, envisaged the installation of an automatic kiosk (with a button for passengers to press) at each request stop. This alerts the driver about any waiting passengers in advance; if there is no requirement to stop, the train can maintain line speed through the station, thus improving reliability on the whole line.[19]
The first of these kiosks was installed atScotscalder on 15 August 2022 on a trial basis.[20][18] Following the successful trial, the system was expanded on 20 December 2022 to cover five more request stops on the line, namelyCulrain,Invershin,Rogart,Kildonan andKinbrace.[21] A further kiosk was added atDunrobin Castle in May 2023.[22] The last kiosk, atAltnabreac, was also expected to be in operation from spring 2023;[21] however, this was delayed indefinitely, reportedly due to local homeowners blocking access to the station.[23] The kiosk was finally installed in April 2025.[citation needed]
The line was built in several stages:
Much of the work was done by theInverness-basedHighland Railway company or, when completed, taken over by that company. In 1923 the Highland Railway was grouped into theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway, under theRailways Act 1921.
Like railway lines generally inBritain, the line was not a product of any strategic plan, but was anad hoc development, facilitated byPrivate Acts of Parliament (which were themselves a significant expense for developers) and dependent on cooperation between companies and individuals, each with their own private vested interests. The line became strategically important duringWorld War I andWorld War II as part of a supply route forScapa Flow,Orkney.
That the line extends beyondArdgay in the county ofRoss and Cromarty is due, to a large extent, to the railway enthusiasm (some might say madness) of the3rd Duke of Sutherland. The duke realised his dream of running his own private train to and from his own station atDunrobin Castle.
The duke's enthusiasm took the line as far asGartymore, a little south ofHelmsdale, in the county ofSutherland, but this development was more of a financial liability than an asset: the long-term viability of the line then depended on aCaithness willingness, not least from the17th Earl of Caithness, to link the line to the population centres ofWick and Thurso.
North of Helmsdale the line was built by theSutherland and Caithness Railway. Turning inland, it reachesForsinard in theFlow Country. The building of the line through the Flow Country – one of the most scarcely populated parts of Scotland – was to avoid theBerriedale Braes. North of Helmsdale as far as Lybster, it would have been impractical to build a railway without massive civil engineering projects. Thus coastal villages such asLatheron andLybster are not served by the line.
In 1902, under the provisions of theLight Railways Act 1896, thestandard gaugeWick and Lybster Railway was built along the east coast of Caithness, running south from Wick toLybster.[e] This line was never profitable, and it closed in 1944.
Historic branch lines also servedDornoch and theBlack Isle.
On 7 February 1989, Ness Viaduct, just west of Inverness station, collapsed in unprecedented flooding. The remaining 270 miles (430 km) of network to Kyle of Lochalsh and The Far North line had to be operated from a temporary maintenance site at Muir of Ord. A new viaduct was opened in time for the 1990 summer season on 14 May 1990.[24]
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All passenger trains are operated byScotRail usingClass 158 "Express Sprinter"diesel multiple units. The exact stopping pattern varies between each station, as not all trains run the full length of the Far North Line. All passenger services on the line start or terminate atInverness.[13]
The service pattern is infrequent and very irregular, with intervals between consecutive trains at Inverness varying from just 15 minutes to as long as two-and-a-half hours.[13] As of 2022, on weekdays (including Saturdays), there are 14 trains per day (tpd) arriving at Inverness from the north, and 12 northbound departures:[13]
On Sundays the services are even less frequent, with just 1tpd (2 in the summer) to/from Kyle of Lochalsh, 1tpd to/from Invergordon, 3tpd to/from Tain, and just a single train each way running all the way to/from Wick.
With the exception of some Wick services,[f] all trains are timetabled to stop at every intermediate station.[13]Dunrobin Castle station is only open during the summer months; no services call there in the winter.
The stations atCulrain,Invershin,Rogart, Dunrobin Castle,Kildonan,Kinbrace,Altnabreac andScotscalder are designated asrequest stops: passengers wishing to board the train at these stations must press a button at a designated kiosk on the platform, while those wishing to alight must inform the on-board guard to arrange for the train to stop. If there are no passengers wishing to get on or off the train, it will pass through without stopping.[13]
Since 2000, trains to and from Wick have runvia Thurso. On arrival at Georgemas Junction from Inverness, trains reverse to serve Thurso, then reverse again from Thurso to run back to Georgemas Junction (stopping there for a second time) and continue on to Wick. This procedure is mirrored for Inverness-bound services.[13]
Services between Inverness and Wick typically have a journey time of about 4 hours 20 minutes end-to-end.[13]
Georgemas Junction has been used for freight handling and had a new railhead opened in 2012 for the transportation ofnuclear flasks, but the terminal has not attracted any commercial operators since.[25] In 2020, a trial project funded by a £195,000 grant from theScottish Government saw timber transported from Georgemas Junction to a processing facility near Inverness by Victa Railfreight.[26][27]
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced two titled trains in 1936, theOrcadian andJohn O'Groat.[28]
In 1963, the line was listed for closure on theBeeching Report; however, the Far North Line remained open due to pressure from protesters.[29]
Following the elimination of steam traction by the early 1960s, trains on the line were normally hauled by Inverness allocatedClass 24 diesel locomotives (D5114-32), then subsequently byClass 26 diesel locomotives. In the 1980s these were replaced by more powerfulClass 37 locomotives, still with Mark 1 rolling stock. These were replaced byClass 156s in the 1990s byBritish Rail. Three trains each way per day (Mon-Sat) was the standard service pattern at this time.
The service provided byScotRail replicated that provided in the latter years ofBR Scottish Region. ScotRail was owned byScotRail (National Express) until 17 October 2004 whenFirst ScotRail took over the franchise.
Until 2000, when the line was served byClass 156s, trains to Caithness were split atGeorgemas Junction – one half of the train would continue toThurso and the other toWick. This practice ended whenClass 158s were introduced on the line, adopting the current calling pattern.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2008) |
Along the full length of the line there were four services each way Monday to Saturday, including a service allowing a connection from the Orkney ferry, and one service each way on Sundays. In the Winter 2008/9 timetable the number of trains to and from Wick was increased to four each way on Mondays to Saturdays.
First ScotRail also operated a number of shorter distance services on the line from Inverness terminating atDingwall andArdgay, as an alternative commuter route to Inverness in addition to the A9 road.
| Entries and exits | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness | 721,358 | 822,928 | 873,011 | 915,840 | 975,570 | 1,043,712 | 1,070,924 | 1,127,718 | 1,180,160 | 1,213,382 | 1,282,445 | 1,303,662 | 1,306,556 | 1,259,496 | 1,238,770 | 1,243,338 | 1,214,648 | 231,894 | 753,228 | 974,808 |
| Beauly | 21,337 | 26,616 | 28,384 | 35,860 | 41,878 | 52,422 | 51,094 | 49,858 | 54,536 | 55,236 | 57,946 | 57,446 | 59,406 | 52,870 | 51,522 | 48,270 | 46,510 | 14,918 | 30,178 | 36,588 |
| Muir of Ord | 22,055 | 24,365 | 24,783 | 32,573 | 39,200 | 51,104 | 57,396 | 62,428 | 74,462 | 74,064 | 72,832 | 66,576 | 66,480 | 64,480 | 64,820 | 67,554 | 70,850 | 13,556 | 41,230 | 47,688 |
| Conon Bridge[g] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,788 | 18,114 | 15,510 | 15,276 | 15,494 | 15,100 | 17,530 | 18,022 | 2,598 | 9,212 | 10,898 |
| Dingwall | 31,849 | 34,898 | 43,508 | 55,034 | 64,404 | 72,086 | 80,324 | 84,920 | 101,730 | 104,746 | 101,996 | 87,782 | 82,508 | 80,900 | 86,276 | 81,408 | 80,154 | 9,864 | 46,524 | 55,536 |
| Alness | 3,717 | 6,950 | 7,633 | 9,822 | 11,550 | 13,722 | 14,306 | 17,782 | 25,498 | 28,384 | 27,796 | 25,934 | 23,614 | 26,376 | 29,272 | 30,426 | 27,050 | 3,220 | 15,810 | 16,804 |
| Invergordon | 7,069 | 8,109 | 9,195 | 12,949 | 15,853 | 19,974 | 20,648 | 23,444 | 34,564 | 34,974 | 36,355 | 31,962 | 29,054 | 27,886 | 28,958 | 28,806 | 27,826 | 3,134 | 13,308 | 18,758 |
| Fearn | 1,909 | 5,157 | 5,143 | 6,069 | 5,581 | 7,724 | 6,790 | 6,720 | 7,818 | 7,226 | 6,606 | 6,130 | 5,396 | 5,262 | 5,256 | 4,304 | 4,182 | 850 | 2,980 | 3,754 |
| Tain | 10,883 | 11,174 | 13,837 | 18,521 | 20,847 | 23,922 | 24,340 | 26,944 | 33,638 | 34,016 | 34,578 | 30,004 | 27,896 | 28,622 | 29,774 | 29,384 | 28,036 | 3,522 | 19,664 | 19,606 |
| Ardgay | 2,503 | 2,297 | 3,067 | 3,964 | 5,851 | 6,516 | 7,388 | 7,404 | 8,890 | 8,108 | 8,806 | 8,416 | 6,732 | 7,144 | 7,140 | 6,998 | 6,408 | 624 | 3,968 | 4,412 |
| Culrain | 1,756 | 2,016 | 1,707 | 1,771 | 1,785 | 1,886 | 1,722 | 1,708 | 526 | 474 | 628 | 530 | 432 | 372 | 300 | 280 | 312 | 42 | 164 | 304 |
| Invershin | 287 | 229 | 408 | 199 | 310 | 220 | 282 | 512 | 386 | 690 | 790 | 486 | 706 | 826 | 438 | 284 | 216 | 50 | 210 | 232 |
| Lairg | 4,326 | 4,096 | 4,126 | 3,724 | 4,790 | 5,280 | 5,542 | 6,098 | 6,330 | 6,176 | 7,440 | 7,514 | 6,592 | 5,576 | 5,426 | 6,016 | 6,264 | 742 | 2,960 | 3,348 |
| Rogart | 1,503 | 1,633 | 1,645 | 1,356 | 1,472 | 1,538 | 1,844 | 1,456 | 1,736 | 1,662 | 1,662 | 1,522 | 1,710 | 1,948 | 1,630 | 1,574 | 1,656 | 150 | 992 | 884 |
| Golspie | 7,032 | 7,530 | 7,429 | 6,956 | 7,587 | 9,154 | 8,486 | 8,092 | 6,852 | 7,550 | 7,788 | 6,770 | 5,192 | 5,718 | 5,786 | 6,150 | 5,586 | 576 | 4,536 | 4,056 |
| Dunrobin Castle | 191 | 299 | 357 | 357 | 423 | 572 | 488 | 594 | 628 | 628 | 916 | 822 | 782 | 882 | 1,030 | 1,224 | 1,240 | 114 | 770 | 1,428 |
| Brora | 4,024 | 3,462 | 3,483 | 3,277 | 3,723 | 4,660 | 5,614 | 5,780 | 5,164 | 5,556 | 6,380 | 5,616 | 5,524 | 5,616 | 5,994 | 6,992 | 6,354 | 648 | 4,722 | 4,594 |
| Helmsdale | 3,972 | 3,513 | 3,514 | 4,456 | 5,348 | 5,646 | 5,680 | 5,656 | 6,086 | 5,828 | 5,778 | 5,096 | 6,204 | 5,768 | 4,636 | 5,044 | 5,086 | 564 | 3,168 | 3,484 |
| Kildonan | 89 | 145 | 165 | 231 | 244 | 174 | 204 | 142 | 240 | 62 | 144 | 96 | 170 | 76 | 206 | 168 | 214 | 16 | 140 | 148 |
| Kinbrace | 754 | 518 | 562 | 537 | 737 | 792 | 410 | 448 | 778 | 1,090 | 1,092 | 528 | 456 | 464 | 376 | 510 | 456 | 44 | 370 | 436 |
| Forsinard | 1,432 | 1,674 | 1,497 | 1,098 | 1,256 | 1,836 | 1,496 | 1,770 | 1,970 | 2,088 | 1,718 | 1,456 | 1,516 | 2,124 | 2,210 | 2,530 | 2,866 | 160 | 660 | 936 |
| Altnabreac | 93 | 164 | 171 | 222 | 177 | 212 | 156 | 172 | 238 | 296 | 138 | 240 | 312 | 356 | 658 | 408 | 232 | 46 | 230 | 280 |
| Scotscalder | 208 | 187 | 212 | 142 | 212 | 256 | 184 | 246 | 214 | 460 | 376 | 388 | 294 | 200 | 182 | 238 | 232 | 18 | 116 | 124 |
| Georgemas Junction | 1,129 | 1,108 | 1,018 | 989 | 893 | 1,500 | 1,482 | 1,630 | 1,682 | 1,906 | 1,652 | 1,696 | 1,572 | 1,502 | 1,320 | 1,576 | 1,570 | 234 | 1,032 | 1,318 |
| Thurso | 38,112 | 37,338 | 35,083 | 32,906 | 37,064 | 43,450 | 47,792 | 48,172 | 48,090 | 46,024 | 43,802 | 42,082 | 38,426 | 37,322 | 39,174 | 39,974 | 39,702 | 6,474 | 25,200 | 31,446 |
| Wick | 19,566 | 19,582 | 19,079 | 17,321 | 20,202 | 21,708 | 24,454 | 25,666 | 24,838 | 22,788 | 21,884 | 21,442 | 19,766 | 18,438 | 17,546 | 17,890 | 16,664 | 3,442 | 12,980 | 14,924 |
The statistics cover twelve-month periods that start in April.
In theScottish Government's National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, it was stated that the section between Inverness and Tain would be electrified withoverhead lines by 2035; an alternative to diesel traction – ostensibly hydrogen – would be used for the remainder of the route.[30]
There are plans to construct a new passing loop between Inverness and Beauly.[31]
For many years there have been proposals to bypass the Lairg loop with a line across theDornoch Firth, linking Tain more directly with Golspie viaDornoch.[32][c] British Rail attempted to get funding for this when the road bridge was built, but the government declined.[33] On 6 March 1987 the government confirmed that it would not fund the project.[34]
This project would involve building a new bridge over the Dornoch Firth, or making theexisting A9 road bridge[b] dual-purpose. Discussions have been held concerning the shortening of the Far North Line involving a bridge over the Firth and the possible use of the trackbed of the former light railway;[7][35] however, there have been no confirmed plans for such a shortcut to date.
Following the successful campaigns to reopen the previously closed stations atBeauly in 2002[2] and atConon Bridge in 2013,[4] there have been several proposals to reopen more stations on the line. One campaign, supported by the Highland Council andHITRANS, seeks to build a new station atEvanton (between Dingwall and Alness), which was closed in 1960.[36] The Friends of the Far North Line campaign group, meanwhile, proposes the reopening ofHalkirk station near Georgemas Junction; it also looks into the possibility of constructing a new curve of track at Georgemas so that trains could serve the Thurso branch directly, without having to reverse at Georgemas Junction station.[37]
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