FoFNL carried out a survey of all stations on the FNL during August. The report below was sent to ScotRail in October. A reply was received from Phil Verster, MD of ScotRail Alliance setting out what was planned.

These items are shown in green below. In addition to these ScotRail will also install lower counters at ticket offices in Wick and Thurso, and improve cycle parking at Inverness. They will be "looking at" the demolition of the derelict station buildings at Georgemas Junction and Invershin, and "reviewing" the issues surrounding stepping distances. Short of unjustifiably expensive rebuilding of many platforms there are only two simple ways of ameliorating large stepping distances. The method already in use at many platforms - of providing moveable steps - seems the simplest. Building a "Harrington hump" (a raised section of platform) seems unnecessarily costly given the small numbers of passengers boarding or alighting at the affected platforms. We expect the provision of more sets of steps to be the outcome of the review.

FoFNL is pleased to see that the more safety-related matters identified are being attended to, but is disappointed that the installation of tactile edging to modern standards (as at Dingwall) is not being progressed.

These are almost entirely concerned with signage between the town centre and the station (in both directions). All stations now display maps of the locality, including the town or village centre, but not everyone can read maps. A finger post outside the station pointing along the road towards the town or village centre would be useful. In many towns, not least Thurso, there is no indication of any kind that there is a railway station - no road sign, no pedestrian fingerpost - until the double arrow (itself of the small kind) is seen. In Wick the station is hidden away and there is only one road sign in the town centre (from the north) bearing a direction to the station. In many smaller villages there is little indication: sometimes a fingerpost with small double arrow at the turning itself, which is often too late to make a safe turning. The Highland Council should examine all these, perhaps by driving from Inverness to Wick and back and observing the lack of signage - a merry day's work on a nice day.

Whoever is responsible for the publication and display of bus timetables should review their practice as it is often poor, inaccurate or non-existent. Presumably someone is paying for this to be done, and if so they should monitor what is being provided (or not provided).

It is not clear who is responsible for the state of the car park at Golspie. In 2008 this was recorded as being well-maintained and well-surfaced. The spate of new buildings, commercial and domestic, since then has rendered the parking area inadequate and poorly maintained. The surface is full of puddles. We have not sought to set out all the many minor irritations there are to users of Inverness station. There is every likelihood that most of these, certainly the structural ones, will be addressed in the chosen redevelopment plan. FoFNL hopes to be able to input ideas when the final plan is chosen, but before it is set in stone. Other nuisances are generally the result of thoughtless behaviour - bad parking, for example - by others, often non-users of the station. Good station planners will seek to design these out where possible.