Press Release: Glenfinnan Casts a Travel Spell: Platform 9¾ Inspires New Bus Service

Fans of the Harry Potter films and books know Platform 9¾ as the magical launch point for the Hogwarts Express. But this summer, the famous number is inspiring a different kind of journey — one that swaps broomsticks and steam engines for something a little more
down-to-earth.

A new weekend bus service (no. 9 ¾ or 934) is being introduced to encourage more of the600,000 annual visitors to Glenfinnan — the picturesque Highland hamlet where scenes of the Hogwarts Express crossing the majestic viaduct were filmed — to leave their cars behind and travel a little more magically. The service offers a spellbinding alternative to driving: comfortable, scenic transport with a nod
to the wizarding world created by author J.K. Rowling.

The new timetable is part of a community-led effort aimed at helping plug a gap in public transport provision to the tiny village on the shores of Loch Shiel in Lochaber on Saturdays and Sundays. The initiative makes it more convenient than ever to visit one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations without a car, seven days a week.

A wide range of community partners have banded together to help fund the new weekend service linking Fort William and Glenfinnan during the busy summer holidays and into early September. The new service is designed as a pilot scheme to gauge public appetite for a car-free day out and help relieve pressure on local car parks, which quickly fill up at this time of year, leading to hazardous kerbside parking and traffic congestion along the famous Road to the Isles.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), Glenfinnan Community Council, Glenfinnan Community Facilities Charitable Trust (SCIO), Glenfinnan Station Museum and HITRANS have each contributed to the cost of the buses. Local authority councillors have also backed the project by supporting an application to The Highland Council’s Discretionary Budget, while local bus company, Shiel Buses, will operate
the service

The weekend bus service pilot is part of a wider action plan led by the local community in partnership with Kate Forbes MSP and a wide range of public bodies, including The Highland Council, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, Visit Scotland and West Highland Chamber of
Commerce. The action plan combines a carrot-and-stick approach to address long-standing challenges with parking capacity in the village, which has become one of the must-see destinations for visitors to the Highlands in recent years as a result of the Jacobite Steam Train and Glenfinnan Viaduct featuring in Warner Bros’ blockbuster Harry Potter film series. In 2024 bollards and double yellow lines were introduced along the carriageway to physically discourage illegal roadside parking. This was reinforced in summer 2025 when Highland
Council gained enforcement powers on the A830 around Glenfinnan. Parking enforcement officers are set to visit Glenfinnan regularly through the summer season, helping to educate drivers or issue penalty charge notices as required. While seeking to dissuade anti-social behaviour, the community is passionate about encouraging responsible and sustainable tourism. It has produced a simple “Guide to visiting
Glenfinnan without a Car”.

This combines timetable information for Scotrail trains, local buses and The Jacobite service into one place for the first time. It aims to help visitors plan their visit by public transport – enabling them to avoid the challenge of finding a parking space and arrive relaxed, in plenty of
time to watch the iconic steam train cross the viaduct.

Glenfinnan businesses are also offering ‘green rewards’ as a thank you to those visitors who show them a valid bus or train ticket. These include the NTS Visitor Centre offering a complimentary hot drink, and two-for-one on climbing Glenfinnan Monument, and a range of
other discounts. With Glenfinnan’s visitor numbers continuing to rise year-on-year (the NTS Visitor Centre has welcomed 14% more visitors between January and June 2025 than during the same period in 2024), investment in further long-term improvements to Glenfinnan’s visitor facilities are being explored by the NTS, and by the Glenfinnan Community Facilities SCIO, which operates one of the two visitor car parks. Both organisations share a desire to warmly welcome tourists from around the world to Glenfinnan and share its incredible story, while minimising the impact popularity can have on local residents, the natural environment and the historic setting of this spell-binding Highland gem.

Kate Forbes MSP, commented “Glenfinnan has become an iconic destination for visitors, with thousands of visitors every year. This has created pressures on local infrastructure, which I have been working to resolve with local residents. “A few years ago, the community successfully built a much larger carpark. However, this has quickly become too small. As such, I have been chairing a task force to identify solutions over the last few years. “I am delighted to see a new solution to get more people out of their cars. This will hopefully be
transformational, as more visitors choose to share transport. “I am enormously grateful to all the key stakeholders – The Highland Council, HITRANS, Shiel Buses, National Trust for Scotland and every local resident that has been helping drive this forward.”

Practical information:
The summer weekend bus service will run four times a day between Fort William and Glenfinnan from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 7 September. It is just one of many train and bus services that travel to Glenfinnan seven days a week. Visitors will be able to get on the Glenfinnan weekend bus at Fort William bus station, Lochaber High School (free parking available at weekends), Kilmallie Hall in Corpach and Linnhe Caravan Park. Times for the new service, along with timetables and prices for all other buses and trains, can be found in the “Guide to visiting Glenfinnan without a Car”. This can be viewed and downloaded from www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/glenfinnan-monument/planning-your-visit