West Highland Line

The Mallaig extension of the West Highland Line, from Fort William over the Glenfinnan Viaduct and along sea lochs to the fishing port of Mallaig.

The route

The West Highland Line runs from Glasgow to Fort William and on to Mallaig on the Atlantic coast. This video covers the Mallaig extension, 66.5 km of single track authorised by Parliament in 1894 and opened on 1 April 1901. It carried the railway past Fort William to a harbour facing Skye and the Small Isles.

The extension is known for its concrete. Robert McAlpine, nicknamed 'Concrete Bob', used mass concrete rather than stone or iron for its structures, the best known being the Glenfinnan Viaduct: 21 arches, about 380 m long and around 30 m above the River Finnan, built between 1897 and 1898 without any metal reinforcement.

The line is still worked by Radio Electronic Token Block signalling controlled from Banavie, and trains wait at crossing loops to pass each other. In 2009 readers of Wanderlust magazine voted it the top rail journey in the world, ahead of the Trans-Siberian. The viaduct's role as the Hogwarts Express route in the Harry Potter films has brought a steady stream of visitors.

What you will see

Leaving Fort William, the train runs beneath the bulk of Ben Nevis and crosses the Caledonian Canal at low speed on the swing bridge at Banavie. It then follows the north shore of Loch Eil, a long, quiet sea loch, past Corpach and the request stop at Locheilside.

The highlight comes at Glenfinnan. As the train curves onto the viaduct, look left down Loch Shiel to the Glenfinnan Monument standing at the head of the loch. After Glenfinnan station the line climbs into rougher country of rock, heather and small lochans, then drops to the coast at Lochailort, another request stop.

From here the railway weaves along the sea lochs of Arisaig, with views out to the islands of Eigg and Rum on a clear day. Past Morar look for the white sands beside the estuary, before the line reaches its end at Mallaig, a working fishing harbour where ferries leave for Skye.

Riding it for real

ScotRail runs regular trains on the line. In the December 2025 timetable there were three trains each way between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig and one more each way between Fort William and Mallaig. Request stops such as Locheilside, Lochailort and Beasdale need a signal to the driver or a word with the conductor. The BritRail pass and ScotRail's Spirit of Scotland pass are valid on ScotRail trains.

From May to October West Coast Railways also runs The Jacobite, a steam train between Fort William and Mallaig, once a day in May, September and October and twice a day from June to August. It is a separate service with its own tickets, so passes do not apply. Check ScotRail or West Coast Railways for current timetables and fares before you travel.

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