Altnabreac station 'must reopen before the holiday season kicks off'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Highland Greens MSP Ariane Burgess is calling for a Far North Line station closed last year to be reopened.
Altnabreac, a request stop on the Far North Line, has been closed since November 2023 due to an access dispute, limiting access to the surrounding countryside and routes popular with walkers and visitors.
- A9 closures at Berriedale
- Chamber chief says connectivity is key to economic growth
- Funding pledge on Wick flights 'excellent news for Caithness'
Ms Burgess, Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands region, has contacted ScotRail to ask them what progress has been made on resolving the dispute and when they anticipate the station reopening to passengers.
She said: “Given its location, Altnabreac may be a quiet station but user numbers were growing prior to the closure and creeping back towards their 2017-18 peak when around 600 people used the station each year.
"Enabling people to access Scotland’s beautiful landscapes without a car is a key part of developing our sustainable tourism offer, so it’s important that stations like this one are able to operate.
“The Easter holidays mark the start of the summer season for visitors and it’s concerning that the station remains closed after more than three months.”
ScotRail and Network Rail said previously that a road access issue was preventing workers from carrying out maintenance at the site while Friends of the Far North Line said there was “no question” of the station being closed permanently.
