Pitlochry railway station

Pitlochry

Scottish Gaelic: Baile Chloichridh[1]
National Rail
General information
LocationPitlochry, Perth and Kinross
Scotland
Coordinates56°42′08″N 3°44′07″W / 56.7023°N 3.7353°W / 56.7023; -3.7353
Grid referenceNN938580
ManagerScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codePIT[2]
Key dates
1863Opened
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 22,450
2021/22Increase 84,374
2022/23Increase 0.106 million
2023/24Increase 0.125 million
2024/25Increase 0.131 million
Listed Building – Category A
Designated12 October 1994
Reference no.LB39867[3]
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Pitlochry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is managed by ScotRail and is located on the Highland main line, 28 miles 21 chains (45.5 km) from Perth, between Dunkeld & Birnam and Blair Atholl.[4]

History

The station is situated on the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (I&PJR) and was opened along with the line in 1863.[5] In 1865, The I&PJR amalgamated with other railways to create the Highland Railway.[6]

In 1897 the building on the north-bound platform was replaced with a more substantial building to the designs of the Engineer in Chief to the Highland Railway, William Roberts.[7] The main block on the south-bound platform received an addition in order to extend the booking office and the stationmaster’s rooms.[8]

Launched in 2015, Pitlochry is one of the eight station members of the Highland Main Line Community Rail Partnership.[9]

Facilities

There are waiting rooms on both platforms, benches and help points on both platforms, with a small car park, ticket office and toilets available on platform 1. Access to both platforms is step-free (from the car park for platform 1 and a drop-off point for platform 2), but the only way of crossing over is via the footbridge.[10] There is a staffed ticket office open throughout the day, however, there are no self-service ticket machines.[11]

Pitlochry Station Bookshop

In 2006, Pitlochry Station Bookshop was opened in an unused part of the station building via ScotRail's Adopt a Station programme. The shop sells second-hand books and donates almost all of its takings to a set of charities, which is made possible by ScotRail not charging rent for the premises and the shop being entirely staffed by volunteers. As of 2026 the shop has donated over £500,000.[12][13]

Platform layout

The station has a passing loop 25 chains (500 m) long, with two side platforms. Platform 1 on the southbound line could accommodate trains having eight coaches, whereas platform 2 on the northbound line could hold eleven.[14] Both platforms were extended in March 2019 as part of a £57 million upgrade programme by Network Rail, which also saw the station re-signalled.[15]

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Pitlochry[16]
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 84,555 88,638 78,193 78,776 82,784 87,210 87,684 90,618 98,340 101,902 112,496 121,168 121,342 125,264 125,006 121,060 22,450 84,374 105,586 125,486 131,400

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

A Class 43 high-speed train at platform 1, going north

In the May 2026 timetable, all Highland main line services between Perth and Inverness call here. From Monday to Saturday, there are six trains each weekday to Edinburgh Waverley (including the Highland Chieftain to London King's Cross) and to Glasgow Queen Street southbound. Northbound there are twelve departures to Inverness. On Sundays there are five trains to Edinburgh (including the King's Cross service) and two to Glasgow, along with seven to Inverness, two of which extend to Elgin. The Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston picks up passengers here, six nights per week.[17]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Dunkeld & Birnam
or Perth		   London North Eastern Railway
East Coast Main Line		   Blair Atholl
or Kingussie
  ScotRail
Highland Line		   Blair Atholl
or Dalwhinnie
or Newtonmore
or Kingussie
Dunkeld & Birnam   Caledonian Sleeper
Highland Caledonian Sleeper		   Blair Atholl
  Historical railways  
Ballinluig
Line open; station closed		   Highland Railway
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway		   Killiecrankie
Line open; station closed

Future proposals

This station is planned to benefit from a package of timetable enhancements introduced by Transport Scotland and Scotrail. The current Perth to Inverness timetable will increase to hourly each way, with trains south of there running on alternate hours to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Journey times will be reduced by 10 minutes to both cities.[18] As of May 2026, this has still not taken place.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
  2. ↑ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Station Road, Pitlochry Station, including Down Platform Building, Footbridge, Fountain and Signal Box (LB39867)". Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 93. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
  5. ↑ Vallance, H. A. (1985) [1938]. The Highland Railway (4 ed.). Newton Abbot: David St. John Thomas. p. 25. ISBN 0946537232.
  6. ↑ Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain. Troubadour. p. 265. ISBN 9781788037686.
  7. ↑ "Improvements at Pitlochry Railway Station". Dundee Advertiser. Scotland. 14 August 1897. Retrieved 10 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Station Improvements". Dundee Advertiser. Scotland. 26 March 1897. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ Reporter (16 November 2015). "Full steam ahead for Highland rail initiative". The Courier. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Pitlochry Station | National Rail". nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Tiny train station volunteer bookshop raises half a million pounds for charity". The Herald. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Scottish railway station bookshop raises £500,000 for charity". RailAdvent. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Brailsford 2017, map 19B.
  15. ↑ Glen, Louise (27 March 2019). "More trains, quicker journey times and improved station lengths all part of Highland railway improvements". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  17. ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 213, 220
  18. ↑ "Transport Scotland". Archived from the original on 20 August 2016.
  19. ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 213, 220
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