Helensburgh Central

Scottish Gaelic: Baile Eilidh Meadhain[1]
National Rail
The station seen in 2013
General information
LocationHelensburgh, Argyll and Bute
Scotland
Coordinates56°00′14″N 4°43′53″W / 56.0038°N 4.7315°W / 56.0038; -4.7315
Grid referenceNS297823
Managed byScotRail
Transit authoritySPT
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeHLC[2]
Fare zoneD4
History
Original companyGlasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLNER
Key dates
31 May 1858[3]Opened as Helensburgh
8 June 1953[3]Renamed Helensburgh Central
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 0.753 million
2019/20Decrease 0.717 million
2020/21Decrease 81,510
2021/22Increase 0.371 million
2022/23Increase 0.500 million
Listed Building – Category B
Designated21 March 2002
Reference no.LB48538[4]
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, 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 is Helensburgh's main railway station, the other being the much smaller Helensburgh Upper on the West Highland Line.

History

A Class 303 unit seen at the station in 1981

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

Platforms 1 and 2 at the station

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

Passenger Volume at Helensburgh Central[11]
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 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

  1. ^ No data available.

References

  1. ^ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
  2. ^ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Quick 2022, p. 236.
  4. ^ "PRINCES STREET EAST, HELENSBURGH CENTRAL STATION INCLUDING PLATFORMS, CANOPIES, SCREEN WALLS AND GATES". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  5. ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 83. ISBN 978 1909431 26 3.
  6. ^ a b Quick 2022, p. p=236.
  7. ^ DEM, David Shirres BSc CEng MIMechE (3 December 2012). "Paisley Canal electrification". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Cardross Railway Station from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (December 30, 2021, 7:45 pm)".
  10. ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  12. ^ eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 206

Bibliography

External links

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