Route  :  Inverness - Perth

The Highland Main Line

1. The Highland Main Line provides a trunk link for passengers and freight between the fast growing economic area of Inverness and the Central Belt of Scotland, and on to the rest of the UK and the continent.
2. The route provides long distance passenger links to both Inverness, Perth, Central Belt and beyond for smaller communities along the line, providing railheading facilities where relevant.
3. The route provides, or should provide, travel opportunities into Perth and Inverness areas for work, education and training, which are time constrained; and for shopping and personal business trips, which are more flexible.
4. The route also provides some journey opportunities for intermediate journeys between communities.

This line provides the main arterial route from Edinburgh, Glasgow and the South to Inverness. One of the principal aims of Highland Rail Developments, in discussion with Railtrack, the infrastructure provider and ScotRail, the principal provider of passenger rail services, is a journey time of under three hours from Inverness to Edinburgh. Currently the journey takes approximately 3 hours 25 minutes depending on the train taken and whether or not a change of trains is required at Perth.
 
 

The Highland Main Line: Perth-Inverness

To the roof of the world

For centuries the natural barrier between Highland and Lowlands, the Monadliath and Cairngorm mountains almost defied the early railway engineers. Following the wide Tay and Tummel river valleys, past the Victorian spa town of Pitlochry and the castle at Blair Atholl, home to Britain’s only private army, the line climbs onward and upward to Druimuachdar summit (1484 ft). The watershed is reached and the river Spey takes over the whisky making responsibilities at Dalwhinnie. Kingussie and Aviemore represent the old and the new Cairngorm resorts, while a final slog up the Slochd sets you up for the descent into Inverness. Always a main line, the Highland lets you know that you really have arrived!