New railway station already one of Highlands’ busiest
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Inverness Airport Railway Station, which opened in February of this year. Picture: James Mackenzie.
The Highlands’ newest railway station is already one of its busiest, delighted transport chiefs have revealed.
The Office for Road and Rail, an official government department, released annual passenger figures for every station in the UK earlier this week.
The figures, which ran from April last year to the end of March 2023, only covered the first two months of operations at Inverness Airport station – as it only opened on February 2 this year.
But that data showed it had made an immediate impact, with almost 6100 people embarking or alighting trains at the station by March 31.
Related: 7 Highland railway stations among the 20 least used in the UK – but which ones?[2]
Related: Safety first as Croy pupils create posters for Inverness Airport train station[3]
And when approached for a response to the data, ScotRail revealed that this success story was no flash in the pan – with 46,000 passengers understood to have used the station by this point in December.
That averages at around 4200 passengers for every four-week period since it opened.
If that average holds until the start of February 2024, then that means roughly 57,000 people may have used the station by the time its first full year is complete.
For perspective, Dingwall – the fourth busiest station in the northern Highlands after Inverness, Nairn and Aviemore – welcomed 55,536 passengers in the 12 months between April 2022 and March this year.
ScotRail is delighted by the station’s immediate success. Phil Campbell, its customer operations director, said: “We’re delighted to see so many customers using Inverness Airport station, and reaching more than 46,000 journeys already is a fantastic milestone.
“The investment in the station, as well as the facilities it brings to the local area, is a perfect example of how we can encourage more people out of their cars and onto trains, as part of our commitment to net zero.”
Highlands and Islands Airports (Hial), which runs Inverness Airport, is also delighted with how swiftly the station’s popularity has grown.
A HIAL spokesperson said: “We are encouraged to see that so many people made use of the airport railway link in its first few months of operation.
“The station is an important piece of infrastructure in ensuring the long-term sustainability and connectivity of the Highlands and Islands and we encourage travellers to make use of the facilities.”
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References
- ^ Click here to sign up to our free newsletters! (www.inverness-courier.co.uk)
- ^ 7 Highland railway stations among the 20 least used in the UK – but which ones? (www.inverness-courier.co.uk)
- ^ Safety first as Croy pupils create posters for Inverness Airport train station (www.inverness-courier.co.uk)
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