The distance between the new Inverness Airport Railway Station and the door of the actual airport terminal building is a bone of contention.
The long-awaited opening of the new station last week was slightly marred by comments on social media about this distance, which some people believe poses an off-putting hassle for travellers.
A common grumble we’ve seen online is that passengers stepping off a train at the shiny new station have to walk three-quarters of a mile, or pay £1.90 for a Stagecoach bus to get tout suite to the terminal.
Hardly Inverness airport it is a long long walk to the terminal!!! https://t.co/tU7k4e4MBf
— Edward Mountain (@1edmountain) February 2, 2023
No dedicated shuttle bus service has been created for travel between the two sites.
Cutting the ribbon of the new railway station at the start of the month, Scotland’s Transport Minister acknowledged it is a “wee bit of a distance” between the two, although she did not try out the walk for herself.
…12 minutes walk to the terminal building 🌧️❄️😁
— Paul Robertson (@pauliewoll) February 4, 2023
A plan to replace the passenger terminal at Inverness Airport with a new building far closer to the railway station is being considered by its operator, Highlands and Islands Airports (Hial).
But that is not going to happen anytime soon.
So in the meantime, let’s try and answer the question — is it really such a big deal to have to walk or take a bus to the terminal from the station?
Our reporter Donna MacAllister took a trip from Nairn out to the airport to see for herself, and chatted with some locals along the way to get their thoughts on the new transport facility for the region.
How long does it take to walk/get the bus between Inverness Airport Railway Station and the terminal building? Let’s find out…
A single journey train ticket from Nairn Railway Station to the new Inverness Airport Railway Station was £5.50 for a journey that took 8 minutes 48 seconds.
Stepping off the train at the new airport station, I noticed that a Stagecoach bus was waiting.
The driver told me that the journey to the airport on board his bus would cost me £1.90 for a single, or £3.50 for a return.
He waved me onboard, and I took the bus from the train station to the airport.
The journey lasted just over four minutes.
Let’s go for a walk, but first things first, where’s the path?
Once I arrived at the terminal building, I went to walk back to the airport train station… but I could see no signs for the pedestrian route.
A baggage handler pointed me in the right direction, and eventually common sense prevailed (honest!) and I found the walkway.
It did, however, occur to me that tourists coming out of the terminal building only see a bus stop sign.
They have no clear way of knowing a path to the train station exists in the absence of proper signs at the terminal building.
A spokesman for Network Rail explained the issue of no signs at the airport for the pedestrian path is known, and they’re in discussions about this with Hial.
Once I found the path, it was time to start the journey back to the railway station.
The long and windy path
The first thing I noticed about the path (aside from the wholesome countryside aroma of manure) was the chance that it offers for close-up views of the planes.
The track is smooth, if a little exposed to the elements, which makes for a breezy walk.
A great stretch, but whipped by winter gusts.
Wheeling suitcases with the kids in tow could make this a less tranquil jaunt.
In total, 3,072 trees of 11 different species have been planted as part of the new station development, so in the future this walk will hopefully look a bit more picturesque.
I walked between the airport terminal and the railway station in 16 minutes 49 seconds, but I did stop for a few chats with folk as I doddled along the path, which was, according to my phone app, 1.1 kms long (0.68 miles).
If I was in a rush, I think I could finish the walk in about 10 minutes flat.
A mother and her daughter taking their first ever stroll along the path to check things out for themselves stopped to have a natter with me along the way.
They stay in Inverness and said while it’s great to see the railway station open, they’re unlikely to use it when taking a flight when a city bus can take them straight to the terminal.
The only other people to pass me by were a ScotRail worker doing his daily walk-check along the path, and two younger men who wheeled their luggage behind them.
Once back at the railway station, I met a jogger who lives at the nearby new town of Tornagrain, which is linked to the new station by an “active travel path”.
Here’s what he thought about the new station:
I also found signs at the station end of the path, clearly pointing out the pedestrian route to the airport, so it seems there has perhaps not been joined-up thinking here.
So, is it really such a big deal that the terminal and the new railway station are so far apart?
Not for me.
But then again, I am able-bodied and prefer to walk when I can, and the buses would appear to be there when you need one.
And even when you don’t, in fact.
I could not help but notice the number of buses that pulled in to the airport railway station, when there was no connecting train pulling in.
I must have sat at the new train station for a good 45 minutes and in that time several buses pulled in and did the loop looking for passengers.
It seems like a waste of fumes and fuel.
It’s maybe not so easy, but one has to wonder if synchronising bus and train timetables should be something to consider for Stagecoach and ScotRail.
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