connection from the Orkney ferry, and one service each way on Sundays. In the Winter 2008/9 timetable the number of trains to and from Wick was increased to four each way on Mondays to Saturdays. First ScotRail also operated a number of shorter distance services on the line from Inverness terminating at and , as an alternative commuter route to Inverness in addition to the A9 road. Passenger volumes The statistics cover twelve-month periods that start in April. Future Electrification In the Scottish Government's National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, it was stated that the section between Inverness and Tain would be electrified with overhead lines by 2035; an alternative to diesel traction - ostensibly hydrogen - would be used for the remainder of the route. Delmore Loop There are plans to construct a new passing loop between Inverness and Beauly. Proposals Lairg loop bypass For many years there have been proposals to bypass the Lairg loop with a line across the Dornoch Firth, linking Tain more directly with Golspie via Dornoch. British Rail attempted to get funding for this when the road bridge was built, but the government declined. On 6 March 1987 the government confirmed that it would not fund the project. This project would involve building a new bridge over the Dornoch Firth, or making the existing A9 road bridge dual-purpose. Discussions have been held concerning the shortening of the Far North Line involving a bridge over the Firth and the possible use of the trackbed of the former light railway; however, there have been no confirmed plans for such a shortcut to date. New stations Following the successful campaigns to reopen the previously closed stations at in 2002 and at in 2013, there have been several proposals to reopen more stations on the line. One campaign, supported by the Highland Council and HITRANS, seeks to build a new station at (between Dingwall and Alness), which was closed in 1960. The Friends of the Far North Line campaign group, meanwhile, proposes the reopening of Halkirk station near Georgemas Junction; it also looks into the possibility of constructing a new curve of track at Georgemas so that trains could serve the Thurso branch directly, without having to reverse at Georgemas Junction station. Notes References External links Friends of the Far North Line Transport in Highland (council area) Transport in Inverness Railway lines in Scotland Railway lines opened