General information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Keith, Moray Scotland | ||||
Coordinates | 57°33′05″N2°57′15″W / 57.5514°N 2.9542°W | ||||
Grid reference | NJ430516 | ||||
Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
Platforms | 1 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | KEH [2] | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Great North of Scotland Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Great North of Scotland Railway, Highland Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
Key dates | |||||
10 October 1856 | Opened | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 68,102 | ||||
2020/21 | 10,934 | ||||
2021/22 | 47,084 | ||||
2022/23 | 55,948 | ||||
2023/24 | 71,474 | ||||
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Keith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith,Moray,Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line,between Huntly and Elgin,measured 53 miles 8 chains (85.5 km) from Aberdeen,or 30 miles 20 chains (48.7 km) from Forres. [3]
The station was originally owned by the Highland Railway and was known as Keith Junction,the line from the west having opened by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway in 1858 and becoming part of the Highland Railway in 1865. [4] It was the point where the line from Inverness made an end-on junction with the Great North of Scotland Railway from Aberdeen (which opened in 1856) [5] to enable exchange of goods and passengers. As built,it was located in the vee of the routes to Inverness and to Dufftown (which diverges to the southwest here) and had four platforms - one through one for each route,plus two east facing bays for GNSR services. [6] It was taken over by the London,Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 Grouping and then became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways upon nationalisation in 1948.
Today only a single platform remains in full-time use,though the Dufftown branch platform (numbered 1) is available if required for turning back trains from the Aberdeen direction (though no trains are scheduled to do so in the current timetable). [7] The bays have been filled in,having been abandoned and tracks lifted in the early 1970s after the closure of the Moray Coast Line (for which the station was a terminus). A signal box (which retains the name Keith Junction) remains at the eastern end to control a passing loop on the single track main line beyond the station,the now little-used goods yard (formerly used by trains accessing the nearby Chivas Regal whisky plant) and the stub of the Dufftown branch.
The Dufftown and Craigellachie line was closed to passengers by British Railways in May 1968 as a result of the Beeching Axe. The line has since been preserved as the Keith and Dufftown Railway (reopening in 2000/01),but the link between it and the national network was severed by Railtrack in 1998 - two 60-foot track panels having been removed as a condition of the transfer of the branch to the K&DR. [8] The preservation society hopes to reinstate the connection and the still-extant but disused section beyond to Keith Town at some point in the future and run through trains from here to Dufftown,which would see platform 1 return to regular use. Discussions with regard to this were held between the K&DRA,the local MSP Richard Lochhead and Transport Scotland in the autumn of 2015. [9]
The old station buildings were replaced by new ones in 1988 in a rebuilding programme costing £200,000 [10] (equivalent to £680,000in 2023). [11]
The station has good facilities for its rural location,with a part-time-staffed ticket office,accessible toilet,ticket machine,two car parks,bench,bike racks and help point. The station has four methods of step-free access. [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 | 62,766 | 66,531 | 70,599 | 68,963 | 75,036 | 77,354 | 77,030 | 89,690 | 94,336 | 95,002 | 97,033 | 102,074 | 98,666 | 91,992 | 89,948 | 81,112 | 68,102 | 10,934 | 47,084 | 55,948 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
As of May 2022,There is a basic two-hourly frequency in each directions (with peak extras),to Inverness northbound and Aberdeen southbound,giving a total of 11 trains each way. The first departure to Aberdeen each weekday and Saturday continues south to Edinburgh Waverley,and another continues to Stonehaven in the evening. On Sundays there are five trains each way. [7]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Huntly | ScotRail Aberdeen to Inverness Line | Elgin | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Strathisla Mills | Great North of Scotland Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway | Terminus |
In addition to the potential reinstatement of the Dufftown branch, Transport Scotland have published proposals to improve the facilities here. This could see the existing passing loop extended through the station and a second platform built north of the current one. [14] Other upgrades planned for the station include a bus interchange, taxi drop-off point and car park extension. [15]
The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) was one of the two smallest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping, operating in the north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the 39 miles (63 km) from Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, to Huntly on 20 September 1854. By 1867 it owned 226+1⁄4 route miles (364.1 km) of line and operated over a further 61 miles (98 km).
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for 11 miles (18 km) from Keith Town, Keith to Dufftown via Drummuir and Auchindachy.
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-track, with only passing loops at some intermediate stations allowing trains to pass each other. Like other railway lines in the Highlands and northern Lowlands, it is not electrified and all trains are diesel-powered.
The Aberdeen–Inverness line is a railway line in Scotland linking Aberdeen and Inverness. It is not electrified. Most of the line is single-track, other than passing places and longer double-track sections between Insch and Kennethmont and Inverurie and Berryden Junction (Aberdeen).
Georgemas Junction railway station is a railway station located in the Highland council area in the far north of Scotland. It serves several rural hamlets in the historic county of Caithness, including Georgemas, Roadside and Banniskirk. It is also the nearest station to the village of Halkirk, which lies approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) west of the station.
Nairn railway station is a railway station serving the town of Nairn in Scotland. The station is managed and served by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Forres and Inverness Airport, measured 128 miles 72 chains (207.4 km) from Perth via the former Dava route. It is a category B listed building.
Forres railway station serves the town of Forres, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed and served by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen–Inverness line, between Nairn and Elgin, measured 119 miles 42 chains (192.4 km) from Perth via the Dava route.
Elgin railway station is a railway station serving the town of Elgin, Moray in Scotland. The station is managed and served by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Keith and Forres, measured 12 miles 18 chains (19.7 km) from Forres.
Huntly railway station is a railway station serving the town of Huntly in Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Insch and Keith, 40 miles 67 chains (65.7 km) from Aberdeen.
Insch railway station is a railway station serving the village of Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Inverurie and Huntly, 27 miles 47 chains (44.4 km) from Aberdeen.
Inverurie railway station is a railway station serving the town of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, which is mostly single track north of this point, between Kintore and Insch. It is measured 16 miles 72 chains from Aberdeen.
Dyce railway station is a railway station serving the suburb of Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, with some trains operating on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line and Glasgow to Aberdeen Line also extended to call at Dyce and Inverurie. It is sited 6.25 miles from Aberdeen, being the first stop north of the station.
The Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) was a railway company in Scotland, created to connect other railways and complete the route between Inverness and Aberdeen. The Inverness and Nairn Railway had opened to the public on 7 November 1855 and the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) was building from Aberdeen to Keith. The I&AJR opened, closing the gap, on 18 August 1856.
The Strathspey Railway was a railway company in Scotland that ran from Dufftown to Boat of Garten. It was proposed locally but supported by the larger Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), which wanted to use it as an outlet towards Perth. The GNoSR had to provide much of the funding, and the value of traffic proved to be illusory. The line opened in 1863 to Abernethy, but for the time being was unable to make the desired connection to the southward main line. Although later some through goods traffic developed, the route never achieved its intended purpose.
The Keith and Dufftown Railway was a railway company in Scotland. Its line ran between Dufftown and Keith on the main line between Inverness and Aberdeen. The company was formed in 1857, but it struggled to attract investors and for some years was unable to proceed with construction.
The Buckie and Portessie Branch was a railway branch line in Scotland, built by the Highland Railway to serve an important fishing harbour at Buckie, in Banffshire. It connected with the rival Great North of Scotland Railway at Portessie.
Kintore railway station is in Kintore, Scotland on the Aberdeen–Inverness line. Originally opened in 1854, it closed in 1964 but was reopened on a different site in 2020.
Alves was a railway station located near Elgin, in the Scottish administrative area of Moray. The station was the junction where the line to Burghead and Hopeman diverged from the line from Aberdeen to Inverness.
Drummuir railway station is a preserved station that serves the village of Drummuir, Moray, Scotland on the Keith and Dufftown Railway. The station also served the nearby Drummuir Castle estate and Botriphnie Church and the old churchyard are in the vicinity, together with St Fomac's Well.
Tillynaught railway station or Tillynaught Junction was a junction railway station in what is now Aberdeenshire, Parish of Fordyce, 6 miles south-west of Banff. Tillynaught was opened in 1859 by the Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway, and in 1867 was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway(GNSR). This junction station was served by Aberdeen to Elgin trains as well as trains running to the branch terminus at Banff.