Highland Main Line
AnAbellio ScotRail train toGlasgow Queen Street approachingPitlochry in July 2018
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Perth and Kinross Highland Scotland
Termini	Perth Inverness
Stations	10
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	ScotRail London North Eastern Railway Caledonian Sleeper
Rolling stock	Class 43 "HST" Class 158 "Express Sprinter" Class 170 "Turbostar" Class 73 Mark 5 Sleeping Cars Class 800 "Azuma"
Technical
Line length	Perth to Inverness: 118 miles 9 chains (190.1 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map (Click to expand)

v t e Highland Main Line
Legend
Kyle of Lochalsh line &Far North Line Inverness Aberdeen–Inverness line Culloden Moor Daviot Moy Tomatin Carrbridge Inverness and Perth Junction Railway Aviemore Kincraig Kingussie Newtonmore Dalwhinnie Dalnaspidal Struan Black Island Platform Blair Atholl Killiecrankie Pitlochry Aberfeldy Branch Ballinluig Guay Dalguise Dunkeld & Birnam Rohallion Murthly Scottish Midland Junction Railway Stanley Junction Stanley Bankfoot Railway Strathord Luncarty Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway Perth New Yard Muirton Glasgow–Dundee line Perth Glasgow–Dundee line &Edinburgh–Dundee line

TheHighland Main Line is a railway line inScotland. It is 118 mi (190 km) long and runs through the centralScottish Highlands, mainly following the route of theA9, and linking a series of small towns and villages withPerth at one end andInverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness andEdinburgh,Glasgow andLondon use the line. At Inverness the line connects with theFar North Line, theAberdeen-Inverness Line and theKyle of Lochalsh Line.

Much of the Highland Main Line issingle track, and trains coming in opposite directions are often timed to arrive at stations at the same time, wherecrossing loops permit them to pass. Journey times between Inverness and Edinburgh or Glasgow are approximately three and a half hours.^[1]

The vast majority of the line was built and operated by theHighland Railway, with a small section of the line between Perth andStanley built by theScottish Midland Junction Railway, amalgamated with theAberdeen Railway to become theScottish North Eastern Railway in 1856, and then absorbed by theCaledonian Railway in 1866, which itself amalgamated with the Highland Railway and several others to create theLMS at the grouping in 1923. Originally, the line between Inverness and Perth went viaForres, but theInverness and Aviemore Direct Railway was opened in 1898 to allow for a more direct routeing.

There are two significant summits on the line:Drumochter Summit (also spelledDruimuachdar) (elevation 1,484 feet (452 m)) betweenBlair Atholl andDalwhinnie,^[2][3][4] andSlochd Summit (elevation 1,315 feet (401 m)) betweenCarrbridge andInverness.^[5] Other distinct features on the route include theviaducts atCulloden andTomatin, the spectacular mountain pass at Drumochter and the severe gradients encountered in both directions, particularly the extended climb from Inverness to the Slochd summit which averages around 1 in 60 the whole way.

Initially the only double track was between Inverness and Daviot and also Stanley Junction and Perth. In the 1890s the single line working was improved with the replacement of telegraphing orders to trains along the line with staff and tablet control instruments. This was later upgraded to automatic token-exchange apparatus. However, the main improvement came with the doubling of sections of line, designed by the engineerAlexander Newlands, beginning with Blair Atholl to Dalnacardoch (8.25 miles (13.28 km)) in 1900, extended to Druimuachdar (8.5 miles (13.7 km)) in 1901 and Dalwhinnie (5.5 miles (8.9 km)) in 1909.^[6] In the 1960s, many sections of the line were converted fromdouble track tosingle track. In 1976, 23 miles (37 km) from Blair Atholl to Dalwhinnie was redoubled.^[7][8] In March 2019Network Rail completed a programme of works to increase capacity on the line and support the introduction ofInterCity 125 sets on ScotRail services, with passing loops and platforms extended.^[9]

As of 2020, there are stations on the line as follows:

Services on the line are provided byScotRail andLondon North Eastern Railway. A roughly two-hourly ScotRail service operates betweenPerth andInverness throughout the day, with 11 services in total in each direction, all running from/to eitherGlasgow Queen Street (viaStirling) orEdinburgh Waverley (viaKirkcaldy). TheLondon North Eastern Railway service is entitled theHighland Chieftain; it departs Inverness at 08:00 and runs toLondon King's Cross via theEast Coast Main Line, arriving in London at 16:00. The return working leaves London at 12:00 and reaches Inverness at 20:00.

TheCaledonian Sleeper travels overnight between Inverness andLondon Euston via theWest Coast Main Line. The southbound train joins portions fromAberdeen andFort William at Edinburgh Waverley, and similarly the northbound train divides there. South of Edinburgh it forms the longestlocomotive-hauled passenger train in the United Kingdom, with 16 coaches.

All trains between Perth and Inverness call atPitlochry,Kingussie andAviemore. Most ScotRail services call atDunkeld & Birnam (8 north and 10 south) and atBlair Atholl (8 north and 6 south), with the stations atDalwhinnie (5 each way),Newtonmore andCarrbridge being served less often. On Sundays, a couple of services continue through toElgin, calling atNairn andForres.^[10]

Panoramic view of the Highland LineCulloden Viaduct with aFirst ScotRail train on it

Class	Image	Type	Operator	Route	Maximum Speed		Builder/ built	In service on the line	Leased from	Other notes
					mph	km/h
43		Diesel locomotive	ScotRail	Glasgow/Edinburgh toInverness	125	200	BRELCrewe Works 1975–1982	2018–	Angel Trains	Operates under the brandInter7City. Fleet consists of 9 four-coach and 17 five-coach trains. 1 four coach train damaged in theStonehaven derailment.
Mark 3		Passenger carriage					BRELDerby Litchurch Lane Works 1979-1980
67		Diesel locomotive	Caledonian Sleeper	London Euston to Inverness (Takes over from electric loco at Edinburgh)			Alstom Valencia 1999-2000	2023-	DB Cargo UK	Replaced Class 73/9 when their lease from DB Cargo UK Expired.
Mark 5 Passenger Coach		Lounge car Seated Sleeper Sleeping car		London Euston to Inverness	100	161	CAFBeasain 2016-2018	2019–	Caledonian Sleeper Rail Leasing	Replaced the Mark 2s
Mark 5 Sleeper Coach										Replaced the Mark 3s
158/0Express Sprinter		DMU	ScotRail	Glasgow/Edinburgh toInverness	90	145	BREL Derby Litchurch Lane Works 1989—1992	1990-	Porterbrook
170/3 & 170/4Turbostar					100	161	AdTranz/Bombardier Transportation Derby Litchurch lane Works 1998-2005	1999-
Class 800Azuma		Bi-mode multiple unit	London North Eastern Railway	London King's Cross/Edinburgh toInverness	125	200	Hitachi Newton Aycliffe 2014-2018	2019–	Agility Trains	Service is titled theHighland Chieftain. Fleet consists of 10 five-coach and 13 nine-coach trains.

Station usage at some stations remain stable. Overall usage on the line comparing April 2003 to April 2010 has increased 154%.

In theScottish Government's National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, it was stated that the line would be electrified withoverhead lines by 2035.^[11]

• Route on OpenStreetMap
• Highland Main Line on Transport Scotland
• Highland Mainline Community Rail Partnership

• Transport in Perth and Kinross
• Transport in Highland (council area)
• Railway lines in Scotland
• Standard gauge railways in Scotland

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