Blantyre railway station

Blantyre
Location
Place	Blantyre
Local authority	South Lanarkshire
Coordinates	55°47′50″N 4°05′12″W / 55.7972°N 4.0867°W / 55.7972; -4.0867Coordinates: 55°47′50″N 4°05′12″W / 55.7972°N 4.0867°W / 55.7972; -4.0867
Grid reference	NS692579
Operations
Station code	BLT
Managed by	First ScotRail
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.273 million
2005/06	0.340 million
2006/07	0.383 million
2007/08	0.410 million
2008/09	0.517 million
2009/10	0.460 million
2010/11	0.490 million
2011/12	0.527 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	SPT
History
Original company	Clydesdale Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	Caledonian Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
17 September 1849	Station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Blantyre from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Blantyre railway station serves the burgh of Blantyre, near Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the Argyle Line, 14 km (8¾ miles) south east of Glasgow Central railway station (Low Level). Passenger services are provided by First ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

History

Blantyre station in 1961

The Clydesdale Junction Railway (CJR) was authorised in 1845, but before being opened, was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway (CR) in 1846. The section of the CJR between Newton and Hamilton was opened by the CR on 5 September 1849,^[1] with Blantyre station opening on 17 September 1849.^[2]

Originally a Victorian style station featuring two wooden station buildings, one on each of the two platforms, these were demolished in the late 1970s. It was replaced by a modern building on the western side of the line.

Originally served by steam trains and later diesel multiple units, the line originally connected Blantyre to Glasgow Central High Level. Following the West Coast Main Line electrification in 1974, the line was worked by electric multiple units with services via Cambuslang and occasional services via Kirkhill. Upon development of the Argyle Line it was connected through to the north western fringes of Glasgow.

The station is 2 miles 29 chains (3.8 km) from the junction at Newton. There are two tracks; both are electrified on the 25kV 50Hz AC overhead system. Each track has a platform on the outside of the rail line, long enough for an eight-coach train.^[3]

Services

2006/07

Monday to Saturdays, 4 trains per hour go to Glasgow Central Low Level, before continuing to (Dalmuir/Milngavie) northbound. Southbound a half-hourly service operates to Motherwell via Airbles; one of these per hour continues to Lanark via Holytown. Additionally a half-hourly Larkhall express service calls at Blantyre before continuing up to Hamilton Central then onto the Larkhall line and terminating. Blantyre has a half-hourly service on Sundays between Motherwell and Balloch via Airbles and Yoker.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Hamilton West		First ScotRail Argyle Line		Newton
	Historical railways
Hamilton West		Caledonian Railway Hamilton Branch		Newton

References

Notes

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• 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. 
• Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs, ed. British Rail Track Diagams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st edition 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 edition 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 edition 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 edition ed.). Bradford on Avon: "Trackmaps (formerly Quail Map Co)". . ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6. OCLC 79435248. 

• "Blantyre Station on navigable 1945 O.S. map".