| Connel Ferry | |
| Native Name: | gd|Aiseag na Coingheil[1] |
| Symbol Location: | gb |
| Symbol: | rail |
| Borough: | Connel, Argyll and Bute |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Coordinates: | 56.4524°N -5.3834°W |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Manager: | ScotRail |
| Platforms: | 1 |
| Code: | CON[2] |
| Line: | West Highland Line Ballachulish branch line |
| Original: | Callander and Oban Railway |
| Pregroup: | Callander and Oban Railway operated by Caledonian Railway |
| Years: | 1 July 1880[3] |
| Events: | Opened |
| Footnotes: | Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Connel Ferry railway station is a railway station serving the village of Connel in western Scotland. This station is on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line, originally part of the Callander and Oban Railway, between Oban and Taynuilt, sited 65miles from Callander via Glen Ogle.[4] All services are operated by ScotRail, who also manage the station.
The station was opened in either 1880[5] or 1903,[6] and in its heyday, when it served a branch to Ballachulish, it had three platforms, a goods yard and a turntable. Later this was reduced to just the single platform, after the branch closed in 1966, as it remains today.[7]
During the 1968 demolition of Connel Ferry West signal box, contractors burning the wooden remains set fire to the track formation. Despite efforts to put the fire out, it continued to burn for several days, causing the embankment to crumble and smoke to issue from fissures in the trackbed. This resulted in a 5 mph speed restriction being imposed and, at the time, caused concerns that the line may be forced to close.[8]
Facilities at the station are basic, consisting of just a shelter, a bench, bike racks, a help point and a small car park.[9] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.
| Entries and exits | 2,686 | 3,268 | 3,482 | 3,834 | 4,058 | 4,330 | 4,088 | 4,056 | 4,316 | 4,004 | 4,400 | 8,564 | 6,592 | 6,262 | 7,272 | 6,996 | 7,220 | 14,552 | 15,630 | 18,620 |
There are 7 departures in each direction weekdays, with 6 on Saturdays, with trains heading eastbound to and westbound to . On weekdays only, the 7th service in each direction runs from Oban to and back. On Sundays, there are three departures each way throughout the year, plus a fourth in the summer months only to Edinburgh Waverley, which only runs from late June–August.[11] [12]