July 7 2023

Kingussie Station is next in line for accessibility improvements under an ongoing rollout of accessible bridges across the rail system.

Network Rail proposes to remove an existing footbridge and replace it with lift access further down the tracks, reducing barriers to public transport use in the process.

Outlining some of the constraints behind the new design Network Rail wrote: "It is accepted that, for the bridge design to meet minimum standards for accessibility and de-carbonisation, it is unlikely to be capable of also realising the ideal design solution of remaining subordinate in scale and form to the existing buildings of the listed station.

"As such, Network Rail has concentrated on a design solution that seeks to integrate well and react positively with the historic and architectural vernacular of the station by being designed in a high‑quality manner using an appropriate and sympathetically recessive colour scheme."

The single-span fibre-reinforced polymer structure seeks to reference the cast-iron style of the Highland mainline by curving the main span and introducing a lattice pattern to parapets and lifts. The railway company added: "Whilst the footbridge will be constructed from modern materials, once coloured to the desired finish, the structural and frame materials closely resemble the appearance and touch feel of painted metal."

The B-listed station dates from the 19th century, with the current cast iron and lattice girder bridge assuming its current position in the late 1930s, probably a relocation of the original.  

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