Conon rail station plans on track
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A NEW railway station at Conon Bridge could be opened "soon" following the signing of an agreement between HITRANS and Network Rail.
The agreement enables HITRANS to invest £100,000 in a detailed station design delivered by Network Rail for a station platform that can accommodate four rail cars, the maximum length of ScotRail trains on the Far North Line.
This work will take the project to ready to go to tender stage.
The announcement was made at the HITRANS Rail Seminar, held in Inverness on Friday afternoon as delegates celebrated the 10 anniversary of the opening of Beauly station with a birthday cake.
The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) is the statutory regional transport partnership.
Dave Duthie, HITRANS director, said: “This year is the 10 anniversary of the opening of Beauly, a station that has exceeded all expectations and become a vital and important part of that communities transport links to the Highland capital.
“Conon is the son of Beauly and re-opening a station there will provide quick, easy and cost effective access into the Highland capital for work, education and leisure. HITRANS anticipates Conon being as successful as Beauly.
“With the support of the rail industry and the local community this much needed railway station can be constructed and opened quickly as planning consent is already in place. We will be investigating all potential sources of funding for the capital works.”
Capacity already exists for the new station as the current Far North Line timetable can accommodate trains stopping at Conon with no increase in journey times for existing services.
Beauly station handles over 50,000 passengers per annum, far exceeding initial expectations, with usage growing 88 per cent in the last six years.
Conon station is forecast to handle 36,000 passengers per annum, although this is expected to be higher once services start operating and users change their travelling habits towards rail.
