Beasdale railway station

{{Short description|Railway station serving Glen Beasdale in the Highland region of Scotland}}

{{Infobox station

| name = Beasdale

| native_name = {{langx|gd|Biasdail}}{{sfn|Brailsford|2017|loc=Gaelic/English Station Index}}

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = Beasdale Station May 2012 - geograph.org.uk - 2955243.jpg

| caption = The station seen in 2012

| borough = Glen Beasdale, Highland

| country = Scotland

| coordinates = {{coord|56.9001|-5.7640|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|NM709850|25|NM709850}}

| manager = ScotRail

| platforms = 1

| code = BSL{{cite web |last1=Deaves |first1=Phil |title=Railway Codes |url=http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/crs/crsb.shtm |website=railwaycodes.org.uk |access-date=27 September 2022}}

| original = Mallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway

| pregroup = North British Railway

| postgroup = LNER

| years = 1 April 1901

| events = Station openedButt (1995)

| years1 = 6 September 1965

| events1 = Opened to the public{{sfn|Quick|2022}}

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 324}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 0}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 162}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 170}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 260}}

| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

}}

Beasdale railway station is a railway station serving Glen Beasdale in the Highland region of Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line, sited {{convert|28|mi|49|chain|lk=in|km}} from the former Banavie Junction, between Lochailort and Arisaig.{{Cite book |title=TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain |publisher=Platform 5 Publishing Ltd |year=2017 |isbn=978-1909431-26-3 |editor-last=Bridge |editor-first=Mike |edition=3rd |location=Sheffield |pages=89}} ScotRail manage the station and operate all services.

History

File:Beasdale railway station 1774421 54bf0743.jpg

It was originally a private station for the nearby Arisaig House,{{Sfn|Wills|2014|p=305}} and the station was thus originally opened on 1 April 1901,{{Sfn|Butt|1995}} but was fully open to the public from 6 September 1965.{{Sfn|Quick|2022|p=72}}

The former station building is now a private holiday cottage.{{Sfn|Wills|2014|p=305}}{{clear left}}

Facilities

The station is equipped with a bench, a shelter and a help point, with a small car park adjacent to the station.{{Cite web |title=National Rail Enquiries - |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations-and-destinations/stations-made-easy/beasdale-station-plan |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=www.nationalrail.co.uk}}

Passenger volume

Beasdale was one of six railway stations in Britain to see zero passengers in the 2020/21 period, due to decreased travel throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore Britain's joint-least-used station alongside Abererch, Llanbedr, Sampford Courtenay, Stanlow and Thornton and Sugar Loaf.

It has been noted to consistently be one of the lesser-used stations across Scotland.{{Cite web |last1=Dubas-Fisher |first1=David |last2=Walker |first2=Peter A. |date=2022-11-24 |title=The busiest and quietest train stations in Scotland revealed |url=https://www.insider.co.uk/news/busiest-quietest-train-stations-scotland-28574520 |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=businessInsider |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Renfrewshire railway station is fourth busiest in Scotland, new figures reveal |url=https://www.the-gazette.co.uk/news/19741276.paisley-gilmour-street-fourth-busiest-train-station-scotland-new-figures-reveal/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=The Gazette |date=25 November 2021 |language=en}}

class="wikitable"

|+Passenger volume at Beasdale{{Cite web |title=Estimates of station usage {{!}} ORR Data Portal |url=https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=dataportal.orr.gov.uk}}

!2002–03

!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

Entries and exits

|489

|349

|264

|307

|213

|200

|272

|378

|376

|410

|506

|472

|366

|312

|418

|342

|324

|162

|170

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

There are four trains per day to {{Stnlnk|Mallaig}} on Monday to Saturday, and three trains on Sunday. In the opposite direction, there are three through trains per day to {{Stnlnk|Glasgow Queen Street}} (via {{Stnlnk|Fort William}}) and one train per day to Fort William with a connecting train to Glasgow, Edinburgh and London Euston. On Sunday there are two Glasgow trains and one to Fort William.eNRT May 2022 Timetable, Table 218eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 218{{rail start}}

{{rail line

|next = {{Stnlnk|Arisaig}}

|previous = {{Stnlnk|Lochailort}}

|route = ScotRail
West Highland Line

|col = {{ScotRail colour}} }}

{{rail line

|next = {{Stnlnk|Arisaig}}
Line and Station open

|previous = {{Stnlnk|Lochailort}}
Line and Station open

|route = North British Railway
Mallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway

|col = {{NBR colour}} |lightcol={{NBR light}} }}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |editor-last=Brailsford |editor-first=Martyn |title=Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man |edition=6th |date=December 2017 |orig-year=1987 |publisher=Trackmaps |location=Frome |isbn=978-0-9549866-9-8 }}
{{Butt-Stations}}
{{Jowett-Atlas}}
{{Jowett-Nationalised}}
{{Cite book |last=Quick |first=Michael |url=https://rchs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Railway-Passenger-Stations.pdf |title=Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology |publisher=Railway and Canal Historical Society |year=2022 |edition=5th |location=London |access-date=29 April 2023 |archive-date=15 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315053910/https://rchs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Railway-Passenger-Stations.pdf |url-status=dead }}
{{Cite book |last=Wills |first=Dixe |title=Tiny Stations |publisher=AA Publishing |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7495-7732-2 |edition=Paperback, 1st reprint |location=Basingstoke}}

External links

[http://www.railscot.co.uk/Mallaig_Extension_Railway/frame.htm RAILSCOT on Mallaig Extension Railway]

Category:Railway stations in Highland (council area)

Category:Railway stations served by ScotRail

Category:Railway request stops in Great Britain

Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1901

Category:Former North British Railway stations

Category:Low usage railway stations in the United Kingdom