The station here was opened (along with the line) in 1854 by the Great North of Scotland Railway. It later became a junction for the Formartine and Buchan Railway,which diverged here and headed north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh;this opened to traffic in 1861 and had its own platforms alongside the main line ones. Passenger services over both branches ended as a result of the Beeching Axe on 4 October 1965 but the station remained open until 6 May 1968.[4] Freight continued to Peterhead until 1970 and to Fraserburgh until October 1979. There is still evidence on the ground of the old branch platforms which sat on the site of the station car park. The former branch lines are now a long distance cycle path,accessible from the western end of the car park.
The station was reopened by British Rail on 15 September 1984.[5]
Signalling
Dyce signal box (2005)
Dyce signal box,which opened in 1880,was a tall structure located at the south (Aberdeen) end of the station,on the east side of the railway. In 1928,the box was provided with a new frame of 46 levers,subsequently reduced in size to 26 levers.
Dyce lost its semaphore signals in October 2007 when new colour light signals were brought into use. The lever frame was removed from the signal box (renamed from "Dyce Junction" to "Dyce") and a new relay interlocking and 'NX' (entrance-exit) panel was installed,initially housed inside a temporary signal box.
The signal box was demolished in August 2019 as part of upgrades to the Inverness to Aberdeen line that saw the track between Inverurie and Aberdeen be doubled.[6] The box had been offered for sale but due to its close proximity to a working line,no use could be found for it and nobody wanted to remove the box to another location.
A new freight terminal,named "Raiths Farm",has been built to the north of Dyce station,in a field on the west side of the railway. Construction of the terminal was completed in November 2007. The Raiths Farm facility replaced the Guild Street yard at Aberdeen,allowing the latter site,which occupied valuable land close to the city centre,to be redeveloped.
The Raiths Farm layout comprises arrival and departure lines to the north and south,a run-round loop and four sidings. The facility began operations in 2009.
Location
Although Dyce station is located next to the runway of Aberdeen Airport,and aircraft can be seen landing and taking off from the station platform,there is no direct link between Dyce station and the airport,as the passenger terminal is the other side of the runway.
Facilities
The station has two platforms connected by a new fully accessible footbridge,implemented in 2014. The station is unstaffed and there is no ticket office,but automatic ticket vending machines are provided. Other facilities include car park,taxi rank,cycle storage,seating and a simple shelter on each platform. Automated announcements,customer help points,timetable posters and train information displays offer running information. Both platforms are fully accessible for disabled passengers,with lifts in the footbridge and level access from the main car park to platform 2.[7]
On Sundays,the service to Inverurie is reduced to 1 tph,of which 5 trains per day continue to Inverness,the service to Aberdeen reduces to 1 train per hour,and these trains do not continue to Montrose.
These services were largely introduced in 2018,as part of the Aberdeen Crossrail project,which saw the introduction of hourly services from Inverurie to Montrose,as well as half hourly trains between Inverurie and Aberdeen,consequently requiring the train to be largely redoubled.[10]
Until May 2017 Stagecoach Bluebird's operated a 80 Jet Connect bus shuttle service between Dyce station and Aberdeen Airport, but this service was discontinued due to low passenger numbers.[11][12] In 2019, First Aberdeen launched its X27 service which connects the railway station to the airport, heliports, and the P&J Live.[13][14][15]
A more frequent bus connection to Dyce airport, the 727, runs from Aberdeen railway station, the next stop south of Dyce.
References
↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6thed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN978-0-9549866-9-8.
↑ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
↑ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rded.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p.96. ISBN978-1909431-26-3.
↑ Daniels, Gerald David; Dench, Leslie Alan (May 1973) [1964]. Passengers No More (2nded.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p.47. ISBN0-7110-0438-2. OCLC2554248. 1513 CEC 573.
↑ Beattie, Keiran (15 May 2017). "Bumpy Ride for Passengers". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
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