, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Oban Railway Station - June 2011.jpg , borough =

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

, Argyll and Bute , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference , grid_position = , manager =

ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...

, platforms = 2 (numbered 3 & 4) , code = OBN , original = Callander and Oban Railway , pregroup = Callander and Oban Railway operated by Caledonian Railway , years = 30 June 1880 , events = Opened , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road Oban railway station is a railway station serving

in Scotland. It is the terminus of one branch of the highly scenic West Highland Line, sited from

Callander Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. The town ser ...

, via Glen Ogle. It was originally the terminus of the Callander and Oban Railway. All services are operated by

, who also manage the station. Oban station provides interchange with the adjacent ferry terminal, offering connections to a number of destinations in the Inner and

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

via ferry services operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac). Oban is CalMac's busiest ferry terminal.

History

Oban station opened on 30 June 1880 as the terminus of the Callander and Oban Railway, which joined the present railway at Crianlarich, and which was absorbed into the

LMS Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

in 1922. Two additional platforms were constructed on the west side of the station in 1904, following the opening of the branch from to . The route from Dunblane and Callander to Crianlarich closed in 1965, as well as the Ballachulish line. Formerly, a branch to Ballachulish railway station diverged just east of

Connel Ferry railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Connel Ferry railway station, West Highland Line, Argyll & Bute. View north.jpg , borough = Connel, Argyll and Bute , country = Scotlan ...

. A triangular junction was planned at Connel, but never completed.

Facilities

The station is well-equipped with a ticket office, toilets, a help point, a car park, bike racks and a pay phone. All of the station has step-free access.

Passenger volume

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April

Services

On Monday to Fridays, there are six trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street, plus an additional afternoon service that runs only as far as Dalmally. On Saturdays, the service is very similar to that on weekdays, with the exception of the Dalmally train, which does not run. On Sundays there are three trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street all year round, plus a single Edinburgh return service on some weeks in the summer.

Oban Ferry Terminal

Oban station is located next to Oban ferry terminal. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail daily from here to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree, to Craignure on Mull, to

Castlebay Castlebay ( gd, Bàgh a' Chaisteil) is the main village and a community council area on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The village is located on the south coast of the island, and overlooks a bay in the Atlantic Ocean domi ...

on Barra and to Lochboisdale (winter only) on South Uist. Ferries also operate to Mallaig. The times of connecting trains to/from Glasgow Queen Street are included on CalMac timetables.

References

Bibliography

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External Links

Video footage of the station on YouTube
{{Railway stations served by Abellio Scotrail Railway stations in Argyll and Bute Former Caledonian Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1880 Railway stations served by ScotRail Railway stations serving harbours and ports in the United Kingdom