Helensburgh Central railway station

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Helensburgh Central Scottish Gaelic: Baile Eilidh Meadhain[1]
Location	Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute Scotland
Coordinates	56°00′14″N 4°43′53″W / 56.0038°N 4.7315°W / 56.0038; -4.7315Coordinates: 56°00′14″N 4°43′53″W / 56.0038°N 4.7315°W / 56.0038; -4.7315
Grid reference	NS297823
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	3
Other information
Station code	HLC
Fare zone	D4
History
Original company	Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
Pre-grouping	North British Railway
Post-grouping	LNER
Key dates
28 May 1858	Opened as Helensburgh
8 June 1953	Renamed Helensburgh Central
Passengers
2016/17	0.765 million
2017/18	0.774 million
2018/19	0.753 million
2019/20	0.717 million
2020/21	81,510
Listed Building – Category B
Designated	21 March 2002
Reference no.	LB48538[2]
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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, 24 miles (38 km) north west of Glasgow Queen Street railway station. Passenger services are operated by Abellio ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

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 in 1858 (as Helensburgh), as the terminus of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway and is located in the centre of the town.^[3] 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. The entire station building and platforms were rebuilt in 1897 to the design of James Carswell.^[4]

The route became part of the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 Grouping and then the Scottish Region of British Railways at nationalisation on 1 January 1948. It was given its current name in June 1953, with electric operation beginning in November 1960 as part of the North Clyde modernisation scheme.

Three of the four original platforms at the station remain in use, though the old engine shed and signal box have both been closed, the latter in 1989, when the entire North Clyde network came under the control of Yoker signalling centre. The line from Craigendoran Junction had previously been singled in 1984.^[5]

Services[]

Services at this station are provided by Class 320, Class 334 and the occasional Class 318 electric multiple units.

Winter 2010/10 (interim timetable from 12 December 2010)[]

As a result of delays with commissioning of the Class 380 trains, insufficient Class 334 trains for the full service have been available for introduction of intended timetable from 12 December 2010.^[6]

Monday to Friday

• 1tph to Edinburgh Waverley
• 1tph to Airdrie

Saturday and Sunday

• 2tph Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh Waverley

Winter 2010/11 (Full service from 12 December 2010)[]

Following the opening of the line between Airdrie and Bathgate, the service is combined with Edinburgh to Bathgate service, the complete service when sufficient rolling stock is available is two trains per hour to Edinburgh Waverley (Monday to Sunday).^[7]

Spring 2016[]

The December 2015 timetable consists of a basic half-hourly service to/from Edinburgh Waverley via Dalmuir, Partick, Queen Street L.L and Airdrie. On weekdays & Saturdays, these run limited stop south of Dumbarton East through to Queen Street then call at all stations east of there. On Sundays they serve all stations via Singer.^[8]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Craigendoran		Abellio ScotRail North Clyde Line		Terminus
	Historical railways
Craigendoran Line and Station open		Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway North British Railway		Terminus

A Class 334 ready to start its journey to Edinburgh

References[]

Notes[]

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 978-1-85260-508-7. 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 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
• Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). British Rail Track Diagams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0948-6.
• Yonge, John (February 1993). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagams - 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 Diagams - 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 Diagams - 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[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helensburgh Central railway station.

• Video footage of Helensburgh Central