- West Highland Line
The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: "Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean" - "Iron Road to the Isles") is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the fishing port of
Mallaig on the west coast toGlasgow . Passenger services on the line are operated byFirst ScotRail , primarily between Glasgow and Mallaig with the dailyCaledonian Sleeper overnight service between Fort William and London Euston.History
The route was built in several sections:-
*Glasgow Queen Street to Cowlairs Junction -Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
*Cowlairs Junction to Bowling -Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway (later absorbed into theEdinburgh and Glasgow Railway )
*Bowling to Dumbarton Central -Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway , operated by theCaledonian Railway
*Dumbarton Central to Dalreoch -Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway
*Dalreoch to Craigendoran -Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
*Craigendoran to Fort William -West Highland Railway sponsored by theNorth British Railway
*Crianlarich to Oban -Callander and Oban Railway , operated by theCaledonian Railway .Route description
Since the great improvements to Scottish
trunk road s in the 1980s, the train journey can take significantly longer than the equivalent road journey. The line takes a circuitous route that brings it into Fort William from the north-east. The line is single track throughout and trains must wait at stations with crossing loops for opposite direction trains to pass. Over much of theRannoch Moor section the speed limit is 30mph to avoid damage to the foundations of the track which float on top of the boggy ground.Shortly after leaving Queen Street Station in Glasgow, and beyond Queen Street Tunnel, the line follows a northwesterly course through the suburbs of
Maryhill andKelvindale . Between Westerton andDumbarton , the route is shared with theNorth Clyde Line before branching northward at Craigendoran Junction towards Garelochhead and emerging alongside the northwesterly shores ofLoch Lomond ; the section where the WHL is generally accepted to "begin proper". Significant points on the journey includeCrianlarich , an important Highland junction of both road and rail, andTyndrum , the smallest place in Scotland to boast two railway stations.After Tyndrum, the line climbs onto the
Rannoch Moor . In winter, the moor is often covered with snow, and the deer may be seen running from the approaching train. The station at Corrour on the moor is one of the most remote stations in Britain, and it featured as a location in the 1996 film "Trainspotting". Carrying on northwards, the final stop before Fort William is Spean Bridge.The sleeper train terminates at Fort William, but the true glory of the West Highland Line is yet to come. The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over a magnificent viaduct at Glenfinnan, through
Arisaig with its fine views of theSmall Isles ofRùm ,Eigg , Muck and Canna, and the sparkling white sands ofMorar before coming to Mallaig itself. "The Jacobite"steam locomotive -hauled train operates over this section in summer.With the exception of route between Glasgow Queen Street and Helensburgh Upper, and the short section between
Fort William Junction and Fort William station, the railway is signalled using theRadio Electronic Token Block , controlled from thesignal box at Banavie station.The route in detail
Places served along the route from Glasgow Queen Street are listed below. Sleeper services to Fort William start, however, at London Euston, calling at
Edinburgh Waverley.
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