Fort William Railway Station - History

History

The present Fort William station opened on 13 June 1975. It replaced the original terminus which was further west and alongside Loch Linnhe at Station Square, at the time in close proximity to then location of Macbrayne's former bus station. The old station was a stone built construction featuring a turret and a double arched entranceway. The station had three platforms, and was demolished in 1975 to make way for the Fort William bypass.

The current station lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis. The present station buildings are a 1970s grey concrete construction.

The station is on the West Highland Line and the starting point for The Jacobite, the only scheduled steam hauled train to run on the mainline in Great Britain.

Refurbishment of the facilities at Fort William railway station have recently been completed thanks to a £750,000 investment. The refurbishment includes new shower facilities and refurbished toilets. The shower facilities include two showers for ladies, two for gentlemen and one unisex shower facility for disabled people. Use of these shower facilities is free of charge for first class Caledonian Sleeper ticket holders and costs £3.50 for standard passengers and station users.

Anyone wishing to use the showers also receives a towel to use once they are finished showering, which is then returned to the staff in charge of the maintenance of the showers. The showers themselves are private cubicles to allow maximum possible privacy for customers.

Read more about this topic:  Fort William Railway Station

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    The history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art’s audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public.
    Henry Geldzahler (1935–1994)

    The only history is a mere question of one’s struggle inside oneself. But that is the joy of it. One need neither discover Americas nor conquer nations, and yet one has as great a work as Columbus or Alexander, to do.
    —D.H. (David Herbert)

    A man acquainted with history may, in some respect, be said to have lived from the beginning of the world, and to have been making continual additions to his stock of knowledge in every century.
    David Hume (1711–1776)