Brora railway station
Railway station in Highland, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brora railway station (/ˈbrɔːrə/) is a railway station serving the small town of Brora in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line, 90 miles 48 chains (145.8 km) from Inverness, between Dunrobin Castle and Helmsdale.[5] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.
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The platforms at Brora, looking south | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Brora, Highland Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 58.0131°N 3.8523°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NC906041 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BRA[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Duke of Sutherland's Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 November 1870[3] | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  648 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  4,722 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4,594 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 5,990 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 5,836 | ||||
Listed Building – Category C(S) | |||||
| Designated | 23 July 1987 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB571[4] | ||||
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History
The station opened on 1 November 1870.[3][6] The former station buildings are now unused but together with the cast iron footbridge are a listed building.[4]
In the early 1870s the Duke of Sutherland opened a coal mine and adjacent brickworks at Brora which were connected by a tramway to sidings just north of Brora station.[7]
In 1895 new station buildings were erected, probably designed by the engineer William Roberts.[4]
In 2019, plans were announced by a local businessperson to redevelop the station building into "a micro gin distillery, café bar, tourist information point and gift shop", at a cost of £500,000.[8]
Facilities
The station has basic facilities, including waiting shelters on both platforms, and a small car park and bike racks adjacent to platform 2. Both platforms have step-free access, but are also connected by a footbridge.[9]
Passenger volume
The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Brora station in the 2022/23 period was Inverness, making up 1,352 of the 4,594 journeys (29.43%).[10]
| 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 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 3,462 | 3,483 | 3,277 | 3,723 | 4,660 | 5,614 | 5,780 | 5,164 | 5,556 | 6,380 | 5,616 | 5,524 | 5,616 | 5,994 | 6,992 | 6,354 | 648 | 4,722 | 4,594 | 5,990 | 5,836 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
There are four departures each weekday & Saturday, and one each way on a Sunday. Trains run northbound to Wick via Thurso and southbound to Lairg, Dingwall and Inverness.[12]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunrobin Castle or Golspie |
ScotRail Far North Line |
Helmsdale | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Dunrobin Castle Line and station open |
Highland Railway Duke of Sutherland's Railway |
Loth Line open, station closed | ||
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