An important transport hub in the West Highlands, Fort William Railway Station (Gael: An Gearasdan) is situated on former railway goods yard, a quarter-mile (0.4 km) northeast of the town centre and a half-mile (1 km) southwest of Inverlochy. The original station was built in 1894 for the West Highland Railway next to Station Square in the town centre, where it had direct access to steamer piers on Loch Linnhe but closed in 1975 to allow construction of the A82 bypass along the lochside. Opened the same year, the present station comprises rather drab flat-roofed buildings and represents a terminus, with trains departing for Mallaig and Glasgow Queen Street. Trains from the south have to come in to Fort William Station and then reverse in the same direction to reach the Mallaig branch. The Caledonian Sleeper also runs from Fort William to London Euston six nights per week, via Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley. A regular tourist service hauled by steam connects Fort William with Mallaig in the summer months.
Refurbished in 2007, the station has two platforms and provides an interchange with bus services via the nearby bus station. There are railway sidings, a yard and sheds to the northeast of Inverlochy. Operated by ScotRail, Fort William is staffed part-time and was used by 138,514 passengers per annum (2016-17). It is preceded by Spean Bridge Railway Station, 8½ miles (14 km) to the east northeast and followed by Banavie on the line north to Mallaig.