This is a companion page to Far North Express 95, May 2025.

Links mentioned in the magazine, and larger versions of some pictures:

Satellite Broadband - P6

On Monday 12 May ScotRail's satellite broadband trial was launched by Richard Lochhead MSP, MInister for Business in the Scottish Government.

The event was attended by FoFNL Secretary, Neil Wallace, who spotted the minister holding a copy of our January magazine. He will receive a copy of this issue as soon as it arrives from the printer.

Satellite broadband trial launch.

Mystery - P17

Here are the four images - the original mystery and the three which help to confirm the location as Golspie.

Mike Wedgewood's photo, from which the crop was taken for the magazine, is the second image here.

The map image is taken from the National Library of Scotland's georeferenced maps facility.

"Mystery" photo.

Class 66 passing through Golspie Station.

Old map of Golspie, showing the sidings visible in the 'mystery' photo.

Google Street View of Golspie Station.

Value of Rail - P18

• Rail Delivery Group Report - Value of Rail.

Years of Press (And Other) Comment About Highlands Railways Need for Investment - P20

Please bear with us - this rather shameful list is still a work in progress as we dig through the archives.

The urgent need for investment in the railways in the Highlands has been mentioned time and again in the press, to no avail.

It seems impossible to attract the attention of the Scottish Government to how far behind the rest of the country Highlands rail infrastructure has fallen.

This is an ad hoc, non-exhaustive, list of references dating back to 2002. Alex Salmond made an announcement in 2008 at a cabinet meeting in Inverness Town House which raised hopes that the government was going to take steps to work on the issue. His 'promises' of investment were quietly dropped without any further public statements.

But first, let's travel back to 1974...

• Letter from David Spaven
  The Scotsman 7 December 1974

• Press & Journal report on the Highland Rail Partnership (forerunner of HITRANS) five year strategy proposals.
  Published 27 August 2002.
• Letter published in the Press & Journal - 28 August 2002
• STOP PRESS
  "Faster rail link to Highlands will cost £55M."
  Glasgow- Inverness "in less than three hours"
  Herald 28 June 2006. David Ross, Highland Correspondent.
• "Faster rail link south costs £54M"
  Plans unveiled to introduce hourly service."
  Inverness Courier 2 March 2007.
• We've not found contemporary newspaper comments about Alex Salmond's famous 2008 promise to bring Inverness-Edinburgh journeys down to 2hr 45mins, and provide an hourly service by 2012.
  However on 3 March 2014 Transform Scotland announced its InterCity Express campaign and our "Yestermonths in Parliament" page in the April 2014 issue of Far North Express reports various questions from the end of 2013, and in March 2014. Interestingly, Keith Brown in his 26 March answer states that Phase 2 of the HML improvements would be completed by 2019 (which they were) and that "future phases of the Highland main Line project" will be delivered by 2025. They weren't, and the TS website now gives no date for completion.
• "Millions to be spent on improving rail line."
  Having announced the improvements to the Inverness-Aberdeen line, the article went on to say:
  However, Mr Salmond was less forthcoming about the possibility of any major investment in the Highland mainline between Inverness and Perth. Two-thirds of the line is single track and repeated calls have been made for improvements so more goods can be transported by rail to ease pressure on the A9.
  Mr Salmond said there were plans, but declined to comment further. "Let us deal with one announcement at a time," he said.
  Inverness Courier 1 April 2014
• EDITORIAL
  A start to transport upgrades at long last.
  "Now it is the turn of our antiquated rail links with the Central Belt to be identified for an upgrade.
  Hourly services to Edinburgh and 30 minutes knocked off the journey time are long overdue". But it will still not be possible to arrive in Scotland's capital in time for a 9 a.m. business meeting.
  "A journey time of 150 minutes is a realistic target".
  Inverness Courier 1 Dec 2014
• Trend towards slower trains, claim worried campaigners.
  Inverness Courier 2 June 2015

• "Scottish Government Accused of 'Idling' on Transport Policy"
  Article reprinted in Far North Express
  The Herald 22 January 2016

• Dual tracks! - Scottish Chambers of Commerce strong plea to Government.
  We published the Chambers of Commerce press release in Far North Express. Another plea ignored.
  19 April 2016

• Far North Line in the Press
  We published a selection of newspaper articles in the summer of 2016.
  "'Vital' that rail loop is included in budget plan"
  John O'Groat Journal 1 July 2016
  "Highlanders condemned to live in a rail timewarp"
  The Scotsman 8 July 2016
  "Railway Service on the Wrong Track"
  John O'Groat Journal 19 August 2016

• "Time to act on slow rail links
  Strong message delivered to transport chiefs."
  Second class service is right off track - Editorial
  Inverness Courier 6 December 2016

• "Time is Now for Fit-For-Purpose Rail Network" - David Spaven
  "There needs to be a recognition that the Scottish rail network is essentially unfit for purpose north of Perth at present."
  The Scotsman 27 December 2016

• "Freight Modal Shift" - a collection of three newspaper articles.
  "On the Wrong Track Over Highland Rail"
  Sunday Herald 24 September 2017
  "Infrastructure to Suit Long Trains Key to Rail Freight Success"
  The Scotsman 19 October 2017
  "Freight Not Rosy"
  Inverness Courier 31 October 2017

• Freight Failure
  Government is on the wrong track with insufficient upgrading of the Highland Main Line
  Article by David Spaven
  The Scotsman 29 July 2018

• Campaigners Attack 'Broken Promises' on Highland Main Line Rail Upgrade
  FoFNL, Transform Scotland and Rail Freight Group joint Press Release 4 August 2018

• Rail not roads should be the priority
  Article by John Finnie MSP
  Inverness Courier 2 August 2019

• Railfreight - a Key Part of Tackling the Climate Emergency
  Article by David Spaven
  The Scotsman 12 November 2019

• Time for Timber Trucks to Give Way to Trains
  Article by David Spaven
  The Scotsman 10 January 2020

• Thinking Big in Government
  UK2070 Commission Final Report Make No Little Plans
  27 February 2020

• Decarbonisation Action Plan
  Response by Stewart Nicol, Chief Executive, Inverness Chamber of Commerce
  Inverness Courier 4 August 2020

• Dual the Highland Main Line
  Article by John Finnie MSP
  Inverness Courier 13 November 2020

• Pitiful Capability of the HML
  Article by Stewart Nicol, Chief Executive, Inverness Chamber of Commerce
  Executive, the Chamber's magazine December 2021

• Highland Main Line
  Stewart Nicol's final Executive Column for the Inverness Courier Executive Magazine May 2023

• 27 Years of Progress
  Colin Marr, Chief Executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce expresses the frustration felt Highlands-wide by the chronic shortcomings in Highland rail provision.
  Inverness Courier 5 November 2024

• And to sum up:
  Will the Red Light Turn to Green?
  Far North Express, September 2024

Letters to the Press - P25

Kevin McKenna's article referred to in the letter to The Herald.

• Scotland's two-tier railway system and why the Central Belt wouldn't put up with it

A Railway Fit for Britain's Future - P26

• DfT's Consultation Document
• All the references to Scotland in the document.

BWC 3 Tour - P30

BWC 3 Approaches	Heading North at Tain	Kinbrace reverse curves
Scotscalder	Caithness	First Class!
Wick Welcome	Helmsdale	Track Diagrams

To get a flavour of the amazing rail tours operated by the Branch Line Society, and to join up if you wish, pop along to their website.

Altnabreac Lament - P34

The photos on these pages were taken by Colin Baird who travels all over Scotland on his bike and writes a blog as The Cycling Scot.

We featured an article by Colin a few years ago and he is also a featured writer in the Lonely Planet Experience Scotland guide, for which he wrote about the Far North Line.

• Experience Scotland can be purchased from the Lonely Planet website - ISBN: 9781838694708