Falls of Cruachan railway station

Falls of Cruachan Scottish Gaelic: Eas Chruachain[1]
The station in May 2019
General information
Location	Ben Cruachan, Argyll and Bute Scotland
Coordinates	56°23′38″N 5°06′46″W / 56.3940°N 5.1128°W / 56.3940; -5.1128
Grid reference	NN079267
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	FOC[2]
History
Original company	Callander and Oban Railway
Pre-grouping	Callander and Oban Railway operated by Caledonian Railway
Key dates
1 October 1893	Opened
1 November 1965	Closed
20 June 1988	Re-opened
25 October 2020	Closed (temporarily)
17 May 2021	Re-opened
Passengers
2019/20	626
2020/21	134
2021/22	492
2022/23	888
2023/24	1,478
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Falls of Cruachan railway station is a railway station located at the foot of Ben Cruachan in Scotland. This station is on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line, originally part of the Callander and Oban Railway. It is sited between Taynuilt and Loch Awe, sited 52 miles 69 chains (85.1 km) from Callander via Glen Ogle.^[3] ScotRail manage the station and operate all services.

The station (on the lower slopes of Ben Cruachan, above Loch Awe) opened on 1 October 1893 with a single platform, but was later closed on 1 November 1965.^[4]

The station was reopened on 20 June 1988.^[4]

Although Falls of Cruachan station has never had any signalling directly associated with it, its platform falls within the four mile stretch of railway that is protected by the Pass of Brander stone signals.

The area near the station has been the site of five derailments due to the rockfalls, occurring in 1881, 1946, 1997, and in 2010, which proved the most significant.

On 6 June 2010, a two carriage train from Glasgow to Oban derailed near Falls of Cruachan station. The train derailed shortly before 8:53 p.m. and was left balanced precariously on a 15-metre (50 ft) embankment. There was also a minor fire. Sixty passengers had been on board the train, but all were safely evacuated down the line to the station with no major injuries,^[5][6][7] although nine people had minor injuries. The train hit a boulder that had fallen onto the track. The train crew later received a commendation for the actions they took to protect their passengers.^{[8][better source needed]}

The station has no facilities bar an electronic display and a bench. There is no car park or drop-off point, as the only entrance is directly off the A85. The station does not have step-free access.^[9] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train. As the station does not have lighting, trains cannot call between dusk and dawn.

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Falls of Cruachan Railway Viaduct
Coordinates	56°23′40″N 5°06′51″W / 56.3945°N 5.1142°W / 56.3945; -5.1142
Carries	West Highland Line
Crosses	Falls of Cruachan
Characteristics
Material	Concrete
Longest span	24 feet (7.3 m)
No. of spans	3
History
Engineering design by	John Strain
Opened	1880
Location

The viaduct carries the West Highland Line over the Falls of Cruachan, near Loch Awe. It was engineered by John Strain in 1880,^[11] and was built for the Callander and Oban Railway. It was listed as a Category A listed building in 2007.^[11]

It has three arches, with a main centre span of 24 feet (7.3 m) and side arches of 19 feet (5.8 m).^[11] The piers are made of bull-faced stone, and the arches from mass concrete, a material not previously employed on British railways.^[11] There is a parapet with a central crenelation, topped with a recent steel safety rail.^[11]

The viaduct spans the small gully created by the Falls of Cruachan, close to the entrance to the pumped-storage Cruachan Power Station, which is located in a chamber within Ben Cruachan.^[11][12]

All services at Falls of Cruachan are operated by ScotRail. However, unlike other stations on the line, the station is only open in the summer months from March to October every year. This is because the station is mainly used by hikers in the summer months, who walk past the falls to climb Ben Cruachan.

When the station is operational, there are five trains each way (eastbound to Glasgow Queen Street, westbound to Oban) on weekdays and Saturdays, along with four each way on Sundays.^[13]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Loch Awe		ScotRail West Highland Line		Taynuilt
	Historical railways
Loch Awe Line and Station open		Callander and Oban Railway Operated by Caledonian Railway		Taynuilt Line and Station open

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Fryer, Charles (1989). The Callander and Oban Railway. Oxford: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1377-X. OCLC 21870958.
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falls of Cruachan railway station.

• Train times and station information for Falls of Cruachan railway station from National Rail