Connecting the Highlands with the Great Glen Railway
Provide sustainable and reliable rail access to boost economic growth in the Highlands
The Great Glen Railway aims to connect the highland transport hubs of Oban, Fort William and Inverness, along with smaller communities along the route. This would improve public transport provision in the highlands and reduce road traffic. As well as connecting communities and boosting the local economy, the Great Glen Railway would offer a major tourist route through some of Scotland’s greatest scenery and onward to other popular destinations.
A suitable route could be established by reinstating the Oban to Ballachulish line and extending it to Kinlochlmore/Kinlochleven and up the gradual incline to Blackwater Reservoir and up Gleann Iolairean to join the existing West Highland line onward to Fort William. The dismantled line from Fort William to Fort Augustus could be reinstated and extended up the west side of Loch Ness to Drumnadrochit, where the line could continue due north to join the existing line south of Beauly onward to Inverness.
Such a railway line, along with improvements to existing highland lines, would provide interconnectivity to remote rural communities and facilitate economic growth in the region.
Category Investment
Date 2 December 2017
Submitted by Kyle Arnot