It is very good news that a start to the major upgrade to the overcrowded single track line from Inverness to Aberdeen has been announced at last. (RAIL 746). ScotRail promoted detailed plans for the hourly service taking less than two hours end to end in 1994 and European money was then earmarked for resiting Forres station. Network Rail’s GRIP 2 plans in 2010/11 envisaged completion of the whole scheme by February 2017, a near miss on the Scottish Government’s then target of December 2016.
The current fastest timings are 2 hours 9 minutes but, because of limited capacity and long sections between crossing loops, several trains take 2 hours 25 minutes and one has to wait 13 minutes at Nairn before it can complete its journey to Inverness. Paths for freight, charters and diversions are non existent for much of the day. Despite such line congestion, it is still usually quicker by rail than by road, but any out of course running causes significant delays.
That the completion date has been put back as far as 2030 is highly regrettable. ORR has allowed up to £191M for what is now known as “phase one” during CP5 and the newly announced plans envisage an initial scheme costing £170M. Full details of exactly what is involved are still awaited. Some double tracking at the Inverness end would greatly reduce the current operational difficulties. Overcrowded trains and recent trials of whisky and offshore oil related traffic demonstrate the need to improve this line which is reputed to be the last in Britain to have telephone wires on poles alongside the tracks for part of the route.
RAIL Magazine no 747 (30 April 2014) letters page 38.
A further slow down in December 2015 will see the last arrival in Inverness from Aberdeen put back 6 minutes to 00.13. No passenger arriving after midnight wants his journey lengthened by another 6 minutes!