Most remote stations....

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Corrour station may be a good 15 miles from a 'proper' road but, so long as you have the permission of the Corrour Estate, you can drive all the way to the station on the estate roads - so one up on Berney Arms in that respect.

Certainly about as remote as it gets in terms of being away from it all, as I can attest, having spent a week's holiday at a cottage on the estate many years ago, after arriving by train at dead of night. This was in the days of Class 37s and steam-heat coaches, with the guard telling me to come up to the brake coach after we left Rannoch to get off at Corrour, as the platform was just one coach long. Who needs SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening)?

But even Corrour might just be shaded by Altnabreac on the Far North line, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altnabreac_railway_station

I have often used Altnabraec as an example of an obscure station with an absurd fare from our GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area, and actally took a trip out there from Wick about 8 years ago when I was up there on a Scottish Rover / trip. Memories of lovely weather and fasconating walks from Wick and a town of character. And memories of a remoteness at Altanbraec - ABC - where there's no public road though it can be (and was being) passed 40 yards away on a pretty well built gravel private road, with a side track / walk up to the station.

I understand since then that the station required heavy equipment for upgrade and maintenance works, and that the Network Rail contractor came along with their heavy lorries and were denied access via private land - a big stand-off and something of a feud which looked to be beyond reason - surely they could have found some way of sorting the thing out.  Me suspect(ed) that the local landowners didin't actually want a station there, and that the blocking has the objective of keeping it closed.

I have noticed in the Scots press in recent weeks stories about a chap who owns a big old pile in the flow country - the huge elevated flat boggy area with an awful lot of water - and about his brushes with the law, and (please correct me if I'm wrong) being detained at her majesty's pleasure and having various restrictions put on him with regards who may be emloyed or visit.  I hadn't really considered this as part of the rail story, but I got a very odd look from a train manager I was talking to yesterday, and it seems that Altrabraec station is so remote and that it was the only way "in" without a car that a noticable proportion of the passengers to and from were travelling for the purpose of the activities associated with or similar in drift to the gent reported by the papers.

[eightonedee]

Hadn't seen this thread before, it predates my membership.

Who needs SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening)▸ (Selective Door Opening)?

Everyone had it in those days - you'd just walk to the door, open the window and press down on the lever on the outside!

As regards the dispute you mention, it came up on my YouTube feed a while back. It's a little unclear what the rights and wrongs of it are - there's a very angry person who seems to have bought the the station house and is in dispute with Network Rail about rights of access. He's not very good at explaining clearly what the problem is. All kinds of impropriety are being alleged. It's nothing to do with the monster in the castle, the subject of the recent travel ban, as far as I can see.

[Western Pathfinder]

 There is in fact a whole can of worms that's been opened up about access rights to the break station various ongoing court cases involving network rail ScotRail British transport police are involved EE the telephone provider and anybody else that seems to annoy the current residences at the break station I won't go into much more detail Safe to say that there are a couple of interesting channels on YouTube that seem to be a gain a great delight from covering the story.

[eXPassenger]

There has been a long discussion on RailUK which is currently paused.

[JayMac]

There is in fact a whole can of worms that's been opened up about access rights to the break station various ongoing court cases involving network rail ScotRail British transport police are involved EE the telephone provider and anybody else that seems to annoy the current residences at the break station I won't go into much more detail Safe to say that there are a couple of interesting channels on YouTube that seem to be a gain a great delight from covering the story.

Documented on this YouTube channel. Although it is somewhat one-sided it does rather show Network Rail and BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) in a poor light with them seemingly overstepping their powers. One example being an attempt to arrest the legal occupiers of land at Altnabraec for aggravated trespass. On their OWN land.

https://youtube.com/@altnabreac

[grahame]

From the Railfuture Campaigners Facebook group

I wrote to my MSP^▸ (Member of Scottish Parliament) and asked her to raise it with Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport. Here is the response that I received from the Cabinet Secretary a couple of days ago.

Re: Altnabreac Station

Thank you for your e-mail dated 10 March 2025 on behalf of your constituent regarding Altnabreac railway station.

The temporary closure of the station is regrettable but necessary to guarantee the safety and security of railway staff and passengers. However, I am glad to inform you that there has been progress on its reopening which I will outline below.

Network Rail has confirmed that they plan to install tactile paving on the platform at Altnabreac railway station on the night of 28 March 2025 and will shortly write to local residents to notify them of these works. Following this, ScotRail has confirmed to my Officials at Transport Scotland that they plan to carry out the works required to allow services to resume which includes the installation of a new help-point and reinstatement of the Station furniture on 30 March 2025.

These works are safety critical and are a necessary pre requisite to any further progress towards re-opening the station. Notwithstanding previous issues, the British Transport Police will work in collaboration with industry partners to ensure safe access to the station for these works to be carried out.

When it is safe to do so, the station will be re-opened. Appropriate communication and marketing will beundertaken in advance of this date by Scotland’s Railway.

[JayMac]

I wonder if the residents of the former station house and it's surrounding land are granting access for Network Rail to carry out the work. If not then there's little NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) can do.

Except try to arrest the landowners for trespassing on their own property again!

It's a long running saga of claim and counter-claim with Network Rail consistently calling BTP out as their "personal security force".

https://youtube.com/@altnabreac

[Ralph Ayres]

Given the station's remote location and rough surrounding terrain I would question the likelihood of any visiting passenger finding tactile paving useful, which perhaps points to a lack of pragmatism in Network Rail's approach to the whole thing.  It may of course be a legal requirement during any platform upgrade if the legislation isn't flexible, despite the money almost certainly being better spent on a safety improvement elsewhere.

[grahame]

I wonder if the residents of the former station house and it's surrounding land are granting access for Network Rail to carry out the work. If not then there's little NR^» (Network Rail - home page) and BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) can do.

Except try to arrest the landowners for trespassing on their own property again!

It's a long running saga of claim and counter-claim with Network Rail consistently calling BTP out as their "personal security force".

https://youtube.com/@altnabreac

From The Scotsman

Trains have once again been calling at the request stop after the station was closed for the last 18 months.

One of the country’s remotest train stations that takes passengers to the heart of a world heritage site has reopened.

Altnabreac is located in the Flow Country, a vast expanse of blanket bog and peatlands stretching across Caithness and Sutherland in the north Highlands.