Blackridge railway station
Blackridge  | |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic: An Druim Dubh | |
|
Blackridge station, looking west towards Caldercruix | |
| Location | |
| Place | Blackridge |
| Local authority | West Lothian |
| Coordinates | 55°53′04″N 3°45′01″W / 55.8844°N 3.7502°WCoordinates: 55°53′04″N 3°45′01″W / 55.8844°N 3.7502°W |
| Grid reference | NS895667 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | BKR |
| Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | F2 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2010/11 | 12,394 |
| 2011/12 |
 43,258 |
| 2012/13 |
 42,646 |
| 2013/14 |
47,330 |
| 2014/15 |
51,470 |
| History | |
| Original company | Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway |
| Post-grouping | LNER |
| 11 August 1862 | Opened as Westcraigs[1] |
| 9 January 1956 | Closed[1] |
| 12 December 2010 | Opened[2] |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Blackridge from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Blackridge railway station is a railway station on the North Clyde Line. It is serves the village of Blackridge, West Lothian, Scotland.
History
The original station in this locale was called Westcraigs built by the Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway. It was also the site of a junction with the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway. Opened on 11 August 1862,[1] it subsequently closed with other stations on the line on 9 January 1956. In some timetables the station was called Westcraigs for Harthill.[1]
Opening
Blackridge was originally excluded from the plan but after a three-year campaign by the local community, funding has been approved by the Scottish Government at a cost of £5 million. Private housing developer Manorlane agreed to fund 40% of the costs. However, it closed and the funding promise expired. West Lothian Council agreed to take on the burden and expects to recoup the cost from additional expansion in the area.[3] The station opened on 12 December 2010 on a new site, some 600 metres closer to Edinburgh than the previous Westcraigs station.[2]
Gallery
-
Platform 2 on the day of opening
-
Bilingual station sign
Services
The station has a basic half-hourly off-peak service Mondays to Sundays, westbound to Airdrie, Queen St L.L & Milngavie and eastbound to Bathgate and Edinburgh Waverley. In the evenings and on Sundays the westbound terminus is Helensburgh Central rather than Milngavie.[4]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armadale | Abellio ScotRail North Clyde Line |
Caldercruix | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Armadale Line and station open |
Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway North British Railway |
Forrestfield Line open; station closed | ||
References
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 Butt (1995), page 245
- 1 2 "New £300m Airdrie-Bathgate rail link re-opens". BBC News. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
- ↑ "Blackridge station go-ahead". Modern Railways. Ian Allan Publishings. 65 (723). December 2008.
- ↑ Table 226 National Rail timetable, May 2016
Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.
- RAILSCOT on Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
- West Craigs station on navigable OS map