Helensburgh Central railway station (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Eilidh Meadhain) serves the town of Helensburgh on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde, near Glasgow, Scotland. The station is a terminus on the North Clyde Line, sited 24 miles 31 chains (39.2 km) from Glasgow Queen Street (High Level), measured via Singer and Maryhill.[5] Passenger services are operated by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The station seen in 2013 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 56°00′14″N 4°43′53″W / 56.0038°N 4.7315°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NS297823 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Transit authority | SPT | ||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | HLC[2] | ||||
| Fare zone | D4 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | LNER | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 31 May 1858[3] | Opened as Helensburgh | ||||
| 8 June 1953[3] | Renamed Helensburgh Central | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  0.753 million | ||||
| 2019/20 | 0.717 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 81,510 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.371 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.500 million | ||||
Listed Building – Category B | |||||
| Designated | 21 March 2002 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB48538[4] | ||||
| |||||
The station is Helensburgh's main railway station, the other being the much smaller Helensburgh Upper on the West Highland Line.
History
The station was opened on 31 May 1858 (as Helensburgh), as the terminus of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway.[6] The GD&HR was taken over by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway company in 1862, which in turn was absorbed by the North British Railway three years later. It was given its current name on 8 June 1953,[6] with electric operation beginning in November 1960 as part of the North Clyde modernisation scheme.[7][8] The entire station building and platforms were rebuilt in 1897 to the design of James Carswell.[9]
Facilities
The station is well equipped, with a ticket office, a coffee shop, an accessible toilet, waiting rooms, bike racks, various benches, payphones, a help point and a cash machine, as well as an accessible car park. All areas of the station have step-free access, except the Princes Street East entrance to the ticket hall.[10]
Passenger volume
| 2002–03 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 854,599 | 889,194 | 948,417 | 928,813 | 894,588 | 1,164,870 | 1,139,534 | 1,179,284 | 1,210,632 | 1,192,148 | 826,406 | 843,343 | 810,965 | 765,322 | 773,722 | 753,118 | 716,864 | 81,510 | 370,770 | 499,674 |
| Interchanges | –[nb 1] | 180 | 57 | 49 | 45 | 90 | 8 | 25 | 37 | 36 | 31 | 264 | 181 | 168 | 308 | 238 | 48 | 19 | 43 | 45 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
On weekdays & Saturdays, there is a typically half-hourly service to Edinburgh Waverley, via Glasgow Queen Street low-level and Airdrie, which skips stations between Dalmuir and Hyndland. On Sundays, the service remains half-hourly, but trains serve all stations via Singer.[12]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craigendoran | ScotRail North Clyde Line | Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Craigendoran Line and Station open | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway North British Railway | Terminus | ||
Notes
References
Bibliography
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 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 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- 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 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Quick, Michael (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
- Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). British Rail Track Diagrams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0948-6.
- Yonge, John (February 1993). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (2nd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0995-8.
- Yonge, John (April 1996). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (3rd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 1-8983-1919-7.
- Yonge, John (2007). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (Quail Track Plans) (fifth ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps (formerly Quail Map Co). ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6. OCLC 79435248.
External links
- Train times and station information for Helensburgh Central railway station from National Rail
- Video footage of Helensburgh Central