No plans to upgrade remote rail station
ScotRail has no plans to upgrade or change Corrour Station despite complaints over its suitability.
The Lochaber Times received complaints last month from a disgruntled passenger who said the remote railway platform was ‘not fit for purpose’.
In particular, complaints were made about the lack of improvements to the waiting area, which was described as ‘a shed’, the lack of toilets on the platform and the newly-installed Caledonian Sleeper interactive machine inside the waiting area which is ‘disruptive and disturbing’ to those using the shelter. On top of this, the passenger complained CCTV cameras were in operation without the necessary signs. In response to the complaints, a ScotRail spokesperson said: ‘We don’t have any plans at the moment to make changes to the waiting area at the station.
‘CCTV cameras have now been installed at almost every station in Scotland and suitable signs will be put up at all stations concerned as soon as possible.’
Inaccessible by public road, Corrour Station on the West Highland Line is the highest and one of the most remote railway stations in the UK. It is popular with tourists and mountaineers, who often use the waiting room as shelter during the winter if the hotel is closed.
West Highland Community Rail Partnership (WHCRP) agreed an improved waiting room at Corrour ‘is long overdue’ but acknowledged certain upgrades may be difficult to carry out. A WHCRP spokesperson said: ‘The recent refurbishment of the Corrour signal box has provided a waste water disposal system adjacent to the platform, so the provision of toilets should be a relatively minor challenge in terms of infrastructure. Cleaning arrangements might be more difficult to organise, however, since there are no all-year local residents and the train timetable allows for only the shortest of stop-overs for railway staff.’
WHCRP also agreed the Caledonian Sleeper’s large totem structure appears ‘out-ofplace’ at the Corrour location but said it is ‘very grateful’ for the live train information and video link it provides.
A spokesperson for Caledonian Sleeper said the information points are designed to keep guests upto-date on the status of the Caledonian Sleeper and also operate as wifi hotspots which are ‘particularly valuable in more remote stations’.
WHCRP was keen to point out that overall there have been ‘numerous positive developments’ at Corrour and along the West Highland Line that should be ‘celebrated and welcomed’.
‘We would like to compliment the station’s adopter on making the station platform such a welcoming environment for passengers,’ the spokesperson added.