, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Dunkeld & Birnam station geograph-3870417-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg , borough =

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

, Perth and Kinross , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name =

Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...

, grid_position = , manager = ScotRail , platforms = 2 , code = DKD , years = 7 April 1856 , events = Opened , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the

Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...

, embedded = Dunkeld & Birnam railway station serves the town of

and village of Birnam in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is located on the

Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edi ...

, north of and is the first stop on the line north of there, before

Pitlochry Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotlan ...

. Most services are operated by ScotRail, who also manage the station.

LNER LNER may refer to: * London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947 * London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018 * Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...

and

Caledonian Sleeper ''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other b ...

also call some services here.

History

The station opened on 7 April 1856, as the terminus of the

Perth and Dunkeld Railway The Perth and Dunkeld Railway was a Scottish railway company. It was built from a junction with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway at Stanley, north of Perth, to a terminus at Birnam, on the south bank of the River Tay opposite Dunkeld. It ...

from Stanley Junction (on the

Scottish Midland Junction Railway The Scottish Midland Junction Railway was authorised in 1845 to build a line from Perth to Forfar. Other companies obtained authorisation in the same year, and together they formed a route from central Scotland to Aberdeen. The SMJR opened its ...

). Seven years later, it became a through station when the

Inverness and Perth Junction Railway The Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (I&PJR) was a railway company that built a line providing a more direct route between Inverness and the south for passengers and goods. Up to the time of its opening, the only route was a circuitous way th ...

opened its line to Inverness via and (the I&PJR had taken over the Perth & Dunkeld company that year - prior to this, the SMJR had worked the line). From 1863 to 1896 the station master was John Kinnaird. The station was host to a LMS caravan in 1935 and 1936 followed by two caravans from 1937 to 1939. The station was the last in Scotland to be lit by gas lights, these not being replaced by electric versions until the early 1980s. Although the trackbed has been raised following reballasting over the years, the platforms have not had similar treatment and are all considerably sub-standard in height. A couple of 'boxes' have been placed on both platforms to assist passengers to climb into the trains but, because the station is unstaffed, no assistance is available to move these aids into an appropriate position whenever a train arrives.

Facilities

The station has a small car park (and some bike racks), which gives step-free access to platform 1, which has a bench and a waiting shelter. There is no step-free access (access is via a footbridge) - nor any facilities - on platform 2. As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Platform layout

The station has a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

long, flanked by two platforms. Platform 1 on the southbound line can accommodate trains having twelve coaches, but platform 2 on the northbound line can only hold ten. When no crossing is to be made, northbound trains are usually routed through platform 1 which is signalled for bi-directional running.

Passenger volume

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

As of May 2022, there are ten departures northbound to Inverness and eleven to Perth each weekday, with six trains going to and five to

Edinburgh Waverley Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

, including the

service. On Sundays, there are 4 trains per day to Inverness (one of which extends to Elgin) and, southbound, four trains to Edinburgh Waverley (including the

Highland Chieftain service) and two to Glasgow Queen Street.eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 213

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Video footage of the station on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunkeld and Birnam railway station Railway stations in Perth and Kinross Former Highland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1856 Railway stations served by ScotRail Railway stations served by Caledonian Sleeper Railway stations served by London North Eastern Railway Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross