 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Corrour station, looking southeast | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Loch Ossian,Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 56°45′37″N4°41′27″W / 56.7602°N 4.6907°W /56.7602; -4.6907 | ||||
| Grid reference | NN356663 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 (1 in regular use) | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | CRR[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | West Highland Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LNER | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 7 August 1894 | Opened[3] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  2,268 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  11,518 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 14,108 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 17,930 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 20,500 | ||||
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Corrour railway station (/kəˈrʊər/kə-ROOR) is on theWest Highland Line, nearLoch Ossian on theCorrour Estate, in theHighland council area (formerlyInverness-shire) ofScotland. It is the highestmainlinerailway station in theUnited Kingdom at an elevation of 1,340 feet (410 m) above sea level.[4][5] It is located betweenRannoch andTulloch, and is sited 71 miles 54 chains (115.3 km) fromCraigendoran Junction, nearHelensburgh.[6]ScotRail manage the station and provide most services, along withCaledonian Sleeper.
Corrour station was built by theWest Highland Railway between 1893 and 1894 on its line linking Glasgow with Fort William, and was operated from its opening on 7 August 1894 by theNorth British Railway.[7][8] It has apassing loop around anisland platform with asiding on the east side. In common with the line's two other remote passing places,Gorton andGlen Douglas, it was built with a tallsignalbox and an adjacent low building in which thesignalman lived.[9][10] The adjacent low building (in Corrour's case) was also used as asub post office from 15 December 1896 and a Post Office telegraph office from 16 August 1898; Corrour even qualified as apost town.[11] Later, the railway constructed a station house for the signalman on the east side of the tracks, and the original building became purely office accommodation for the railway and the post office.[4]
Corrour was originally intended[12] to be merely a passing place on the long section between Rannoch and Tulloch, called Luibruaridh (sic)[13] after the nearest habitation, Luibruairidh, on the olddrove road betweenRannoch andSpean Bridge, about1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) northwest of the passing place.[14] However, from its opening, its small island platform was used as a station, and the name Corrour was also used[15] althoughCorrour Lodge at that time was where the drove road crossed Coire Odhar, some 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of the station (marked Corrour Old Lodge on the OS map).[14] However, when the station opened, estate traffic was facilitated by the building of a mile-long (1.6 km) track connecting the station to the old drove road as it passed near the head of Loch Ossian.[16]
In the early days, there was so much estate business that the railway employed an extra clerkess during thegrouse season. It was theoretically a private station for the use of the estate, but it was also used by the public from the start, despite its not appearing in public timetables until September 1934.[17][18]
In 1897, the estate built anew lodge at the foot of Loch Ossian,4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) northeast of the station. There was, however, no vehicular access to the lodge from the public road system, so all goods (including vehicles) had to come and go by rail via Corrour station. Until the track along the south shore of Loch Ossian was built, the estate ran a small steamer from the lodge to the head of Loch Ossian (where Loch Ossian youth hostel is now), from which the station was only a little over a mile (1.6 km) away.[19] In 1972, the Forestry Commission built a privatemacadamized road from the A86 at near Moy Lodge to Corrour Lodge, so for the first time there was vehicular access to the station, via Corrour Lodge and Moy Lodge – a total distance of 15 miles (24 km).[20]
During the construction of theLochaber hydroelectric scheme in the 1930s, a smallhalt was located atFersit, between Corrour and Tulloch, about 2 miles (3.2 km) short of the latter. This operated between 1 August 1931 and 31 December 1934.[21]
Corrour sub post and telegraph office closed on 5 March 1977.[11]
Since November 1985, all passenger trains have used the original"down" platform. The "up" loop remains, and is serviceable, but it is no longer used by passenger trains.[10] There was originally a footbridge at Corrour station, providing an exit to the east side, but it was moved to Rannoch station, following the downgrading of the "up" loop at Corrour.[22] Passengers now cross the line by abarrow crossing.[23]
In 1998/1999, Corrour Estate replaced the former signalman's house with a new station house. This included business premises and lodging for their managers, and had electric power from a diesel generator.[4][24] The station house subsequently had a number of tenants over the years, becoming an independent hostel, an SYHA hostel (in addition to the SYHA’s nearby hostel at Loch Ossian), and a restaurant. In 2015, the estate took over the running of the building, and after closure for refurbishment, reopened it as a bar and restaurant.[25]
In 2012, the red stone chippings on the platform, whichNetwork Rail acknowledged would be hazardous to wheelchair passengers, were replaced by a hard surface.[26]
In 2013,Historic Scotlandlisted the disused signalbox (called the "old watchtower" by Network Rail) and the adjacent building asCategory C (the tall boxes at Gorton and Glen Douglas had been demolished).[27] Subsequently, Network Rail, in conjunction with the Corrour Estate and the Railway Heritage Trust, refurbished the signalbox, and in 2016, the estate opened three guest rooms in it.[10]
The station is one of the most remote in the United Kingdom, at an isolated location on the northern edge ofRannoch Moor.[28] It is not accessible by any public roads. The nearest road, the B846 road fromLoch Rannoch toRannoch station, is a ten-mile (16 km) walk away by hill track,[29] although Rannoch station itself is only 7¼ route-miles (11.5 km) away by rail.[30] Vehicular access is by a 15-mile (24 km) private road from a little west of Moy Lodge on the A86. Until the late 1980s, the only electrical power at the station was provided by batteries. The only telephone was the railway's system which linked Corrour only to the adjacent signal boxes at Rannoch andTulloch, which were on the public telephone system.[31]
At 1,340 ft (410 m) above sea level[4] the station provides a starting point for hill-walkers andMunro-baggers. There is accommodation and a bar/restaurant available at the station[32] and anSYHA youth hostel just over a mile (1.6 km) away at the head ofLoch Ossian.[33]
Corrour is unstaffed and there are no ticket-issuing facilities. There are no departure announcements but there is WiFi, a telephone help point, an electronic departure display and a Caledonian Sleeper digital information point. There is a shelter with bench seats and cycle racks. The station is lit by electric lights.[23][34]
Its estimated usage of 14,344 (2018–2019) made it the busiest station on the line north ofCrianlarich, apart from Fort William and Mallaig.[35]
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 9,887 | 10,817 | 9,885 | 11,045 | 13,226 | 12,724 | 12,280 | 12,782 | 12,222 | 12,058 | 13,138 | 12,856 | 11,156 | 11,092 | 13,302 | 14,344 | 12,630 | 2,268 | 11,518 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
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Corrour station is served by regularScotRail passenger trains betweenGlasgow Queen Street andFort William andMallaig. Its station map is available on National Rail's website which shows station information.[36]
These local services run three times a day in each direction on weekdays and Saturdays, but less frequently on Sundays (twice each way). In addition, Corrour is served by theCaledonian Sleeper service between Fort William and LondonEuston via Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level) andEdinburgh (these run daily except Saturday nights in each direction). The sleeper also conveys seated coaches and can therefore also be used by regular West Highland passengers travelling to or from Glasgow or Edinburgh.[37][38][39]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rannoch | ScotRail West Highland Line | Tulloch | ||
| Rannoch | Caledonian Sleeper (Highland Sleeper) | Tulloch | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Rannoch | North British Railway West Highland Railway | Tulloch | ||
The station, and the nearby mountainLeum Uilleim, gained fame when they were featured in a scene from the filmTrainspotting. It also appeared in the fourth episode of the 2010BBC seriesSecret Britain. The station also featured in theYoung Guns video for the single "Weight of the World". The station is the primary location in Jos Stelling's filmDe Wisselwachter. It was also visited byPaul Merton in Episode 3 of hisChannel 4 documentary seriesPaul Merton's Secret Stations.[40]
The route south from Corrour across the Moor of Rannoch to Rannoch Station itself was used as a filming location in theHarry Potter films where aDeath Eater was seen to stand between the rails with an outstretched arm, to bring the approaching Hogwarts Express to a stand for the train to be inspected. Warner Brothers spent a couple of days with equipment based at Rannoch to facilitate the filming sequences.[citation needed]
