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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) The platform at Culrain, looking north | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Culrain,Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°55′11″N4°24′16″W / 57.9196°N 4.4045°W /57.9196; -4.4045 | ||||
| Grid reference | NH576947 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | CUA[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Sutherland Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LMSR | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1871[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  312 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  42 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 164 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 304 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 300 | ||||
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Culrain railway station serves the village ofCulrain inKyle of Sutherland in theHighlandcouncil area ofScotland. It is located on theFar North Line. It is 61 miles 0 chains (98.2 km) fromInverness, betweenArdgay andInvershin.[4]ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.
The station opened in 1871, as part of theSutherland Railway, later becoming part of theHighland Railway and later theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway.[citation needed]
The original nameboard is now preserved at the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway, in Kent (see left).
The station is close toCarbisdale Castle, which operated from 1945 to 2011 as ayouth hostel owned by theScottish Youth Hostels Association. The hostel has been closed since 2011 as a result of structural damage. Following its sale to a consortium in 2016,[5] planning permission was granted in 2017/2018 to turn the castle back into a private residence but now with swimming pool.[6]
The station has a waiting shelter, a bench, a help point and cycle racks, and has step-free access.[7] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.[citation needed]
On 20 December 2022,Transport Scotland introduced a new "Press & Ride" system at Culrain,[8] following successful trials of the system atScotscalder over the previous four months.[9][10] Previously, passengers wishing to board a train at Culrain had to flag the train by raising their arm (as is still done at other request stops around the country); 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 consists of an automatic kiosk (with a button for passengers to press) at the platform; this will alert the driver about any waiting passengers in advance and, if there is no requirement to stop, the train can maintain line speed through the request stops, thus improving reliability on the whole line.[11]
The station has a single platform which is long enough for a five-coach train. The railway line through Culrain is single track, with the nearestpassing loop to the north being atLairg and to the south atArdgay.[4][12]
| 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 | 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 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
On Mondays to Saturdays, there are four trains a day southbound toInverness and four northbound toWick. On Sundays, there is one train in each direction.[14]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardgay | ScotRail Far North Line | Invershin | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Bonar Bridge Line and Station open | Highland Railway Sutherland Railway | Invershin Line and Station open | ||
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