 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The station in 2013 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Nairn,Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°34′49″N3°52′18″W / 57.5803°N 3.8716°W /57.5803; -3.8716 | ||||
| Grid reference | NH881560 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | NRN[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Inverness and Nairn Railway andInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 7 November 1855[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.135 million | ||||
| 2020/21 |  46,324 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.101 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.102 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.134 million | ||||
Listed Building – Category B | |||||
| Designated | 12 March 1981 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB38454[4] | ||||
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Nairn railway station is arailway station serving the town ofNairn inScotland. The station is managed and served byScotRail and is on theAberdeen to Inverness Line, betweenForres andInverness Airport, measured 128 miles 72 chains (207.4 km) fromPerth via the formerDava route.[5] It is a category Blisted building.[4]
The station was first opened on 7 November 1855 by theInverness and Nairn Railway.[6][7] In 1857, the line was extended eastwards to Dalvey. The route from Aberdeen to Inverness was merged into one company, theInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway, in 1861.[8]
In 1885 the Highland Railway Company agreed to improve the facilities at Nairn. The station buildings were replaced with improved accommodation for passenger and staff.[9] The gables of the cross wings were surmounted with the Scotch thistle, the Prince of Wales feather, and other designs sculpted in stone. The masonry work was completed by Mr. Squair of Nairn. At the same time a new station master’s house was erected. The platforms were extended to around 440 yards (400 m) and raised in height to the level of the carriages. A new iron foot bridge over the line connected the platforms, avoiding passengers using a foot crossing over the running lines. The bridge over Cawdor Road was also widened at the same time.[10] The work was completed in 1886.[11]
The station was notable for being the last working example ofHighland Railway signalling principles, where a signal box was provided at each end to work the signals & points whilst thekey token instruments for working the single line were located in the main building. The distance between the boxes was such that a bicycle was officially provided byBR (and laterRailtrack) for the signaller to use.[12]
Control of the signalling at the station has since transferred to a new workstation in the Inverness signalling centre, following a 10-day line closure that also saw the loop at Elgin lengthened and a new station and loop commissioned at Forres.[13] A replacement bus service ran whilst the work was in progress, with the line reopening on schedule on 17 October 2017.
The station has a ticket office, ticket machine and accessible toilet on platform 1, adjacent to some bike racks and one of the car parks. The other is adjacent to platform 2, which is equipped with a flower shop and a help point. There is step-free access to both platforms, but not between them, as the bridge linking them does not have lifts.[14]
The station is 128 miles 72 chains (207.4 km) fromPerth (measured viaDava), and has apassing loop 29 chains (580 m) long, flanked by two platforms which can each accommodate an eight-coach train.[15]
| 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 | 71,742 | 80,626 | 85,488 | 75,353 | 70,454 | 75,490 | 83,980 | 101,182 | 111,748 | 112,014 | 116,768 | 127,180 | 130,174 | 120,504 | 112,142 | 117,780 | 134,518 | 46,324 | 100,752 | 101,642 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
As of May 2022, there are seventeen daily departures from the station each way on weekdays and Saturdays. Most are through trains betweenAberdeen andInverness, but some trains start from or terminate atElgin. One departure runs through toEdinburgh in the morning, and one in the evening runs toStonehaven. On Sundays there are five through trains each way to Inverness and Aberdeen, with two more from Glasgow to Elgin via Inverness that call eastbound.[17]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forres | ScotRail Aberdeen–Inverness line | Inverness Airport | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Connection to Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway | Inverness and Nairn Railway | Gollanfield Junction Line open; Station closed | ||
| Auldearn Line open; Station closed | Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway | Connection to Inverness and Nairn Railway | ||
