Tonmouth

Tonmouth's southern end in March 2018.

Location of Tonmouth

Tonmouth is a resort town in the south coast of Highland. it is situated in the county of Tonmouth, and lies about 14 kilometres south-west of the city of Tinchester.

### Areas

Tonmouth has a number of settlements in the area, including Grimshaw, about one kilometre north of Tonmouth's town centre.

Other notable areas include Billington, Pondown, Ale and Finniganshaw, which is the small estate just west of Tonmouth.

The nearby town of Benhilton, formerly in the district of the Upper Tonne, was eventually absorbed into Tonmouth Suburban in September 2018.

Upton is a large village about two kilometres north of Tonmouth, but is considered separate from the town.

### Railway Station

Tonmouth has an 8-platform railway station. The project was completed on June 3, 2018.

April 28 2018 saw Tonmouth being the first town in the country to have trials of station signs - unusually, something Highland has never had in any of its railway stations before.

In February 2018, a temporary fourth platform was installed at Tonmouth, which would be used for more terminating services until the upgrade was completed. Before, the station frequently had delays due to not having room for terminating services, or trains which would temporarily rest. Once the project was completed, the temporary platform's tracks were lifted.

Briefly after the additional platforms were open to the public, Tonmouth Council, along with Torella, opened a small branch line towards the Tonmouth Museum, which showcases the variety of boats and ships that visited the town in the late 70s and 80s. The line is only open in summer.

Tonmouth's largest estate, Nexus Green, is located across the River Tonne.

Despite the town's population, Tonmouth station has seen a rapid decline in passenger numbers for the past five years;

In 2012, there were 113,255 recorded journeys from Tonmouth.

In 2013, this number **rose** to 115,356.

In 2014, this number **fell** to 109,603.

In 2015, this number **fell** to 62,368, though this was due to the final stages of the Tonmouth Hills line, which saw many trains cancelled and/or diverted.

In 2016, this number '*rose'*to 88,200, over 20,000 fewer than in 2014.

In 2017, this number **fell**to 87,433.

On March 2nd 2018, the long-closed Harlington railway line finally re-opened, after over thirty years of closure. The original line, which is long-gone, terminated at Harlington from Hurshing. The new line however now runs past Harlington and connects with the Tonne Meadows line, also opening that day, which then connects to the Tinchester Main Line at Wessingham.

Just two weeks before, the line to Barley, a fairly large town in Arfold, about twelve kilometres from Tonmouth, opened to the public. Services to Barley will typically run via Low Xenorth, connect at Wessingham and run through the Tonne Meadows line to Tonne Tunnel Junction station, where the line diverges shortly after at Outfield and eventually advancing to Barley. Torella, who formally opened the lines, said, "This will boost local estates and authorities by giving residents much more efficient transport links to necessary areas".

He also claimed that "The opening of these lines should be a key factor in raising the passenger numbers for Tonmouth station once more.