West Highland Line

West Highland Line
West Highland Line
	A First ScotRail train to Fort William crossing Rannoch Moor in August 2007
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Glasgow; Argyll and Bute; Highland;
Termini	Glasgow Queen Street; Mallaig; Oban; ;
Stations	33
Service
Type	Rural Rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Caledonian Sleeper; ScotRail; West Coast Railways;
Rolling stock	Class 153; Class 156; Caledonian Sleeper stock;
Technical
Line length	Glasgow Queen Street to Crianlarich: 59 miles 22 chains (95.4 km); Crianlarich to Oban: 41 miles 73 chains (67.5 km); Crianlarich to Fort William: 63 miles 14 chains (101.7 km); Fort William to Mallaig: 41 miles 28 chains (66.5 km); Total (including reversing at Fort William): 205 miles 57 chains (331.1 km);
Number of tracks	Single-track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	70 mph (110 km/h) maximum
Route map
v; t; e; West Highland Line
	Legend
	Beasdale
	Stops on request
	Lochailort
	Stops on request
	Locheilside
	Stops on request
	Falls of Cruachan
	summer only
	Glasgow Queen Street
	Buchanan Street

The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean – "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the notable Trans-Siberian line in Russia and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru.^[2]^[3]^[4] The ScotRail website has since reported that the line has been voted the most scenic railway line in the world for the second year running.^[5]

The West Highland Line is one of two railway lines that access the remote and mountainous west coast of Scotland, the other being the Kyle of Lochalsh Line which connects Inverness with Kyle of Lochalsh. The line is the westernmost railway line in Great Britain.

At least in part, the West Highland Line is the same railway line as that referred to as the West Highland Railway.

^ ^a ^b Network Rail. "Delivering for You - Route Plans 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
^ "Highland train line best in world". BBC News. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^ "Wanderlust Travel Awards announced". Wanderlust. 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^ Donnelly, Brian; Taylor, Marianne (6 February 2009). "Highland line voted world's most scenic train journey". The Herald. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
^ "West Highland Railway Line | Oban | Fort William | Mallaig | ScotRail". www.scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2021.

[Rail-1] Network Rail. "Delivering for You - Route Plans 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2011.

[2] "Highland train line best in world". BBC News. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.

[3] "Wanderlust Travel Awards announced". Wanderlust. 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2009.

[4] Donnelly, Brian; Taylor, Marianne (6 February 2009). "Highland line voted world's most scenic train journey". The Herald. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2009.

[5] "West Highland Railway Line | Oban | Fort William | Mallaig | ScotRail". www.scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2021.

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