The romance of rail stations

The West Highland Line is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world, while Brief Encounter is one of the most famous romantic films ever made. Combine the two and you could have something really rather special.

Brief Encounters on the West Highland Line – a 50-minute play inspired by the 1945 film, to be staged at four stations on the route – is a marvellous idea, with some performances already sold out.

If it proves to be a success, hopefully there will be more performances and perhaps we will then be able to look forward to more adaptations of rail-themed films in different parts of the country. How about Murder on the Auchinleck Express, the 3.10 to Yoker, or the Thorntonhall Thunderbolt?

Scotland has some marvellous railway buildings which were previously allowed to fall into disrepair.

In recent years, there has been good work done to bring many stations back into use, with some now hosting businesses like bookshops, laundries and photography studios.

But there is still more that could and should be done.