Uphall Station

Uphall Station

Pumpherston Road, Uphall Station
Uphall Station
Uphall Station shown within West Lothian
OS grid reference NT060704
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LIVINGSTON
Postcode district EH54
Dialling code 01506
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Uphall Station is a small village located in the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. The name is derived from neighbouring town Uphall on account of there being an incredibly popular railway station located on the northeast perimeter of the village. The village is situated southeast of neighbouring Uphall, north of Pumpherston and northeast of Livingston. It is administered by West Lothian Council. It lies approximately a quarter of a mile from the A89 dual carriageway, which is a major road running between Greenock in the west of Scotland and Edinburgh in the east of Scotland. A gala day (an outdoor fête) is held annually, usually in June.

Uphall railway station

Housing

Uphall Station has a variety of housing, including old Victorian and Edwardian stone-built cottages, modern housing estates, bungalows and cottages. The Edwardian and Victorian cottages were built during the mining days of Uphall station to house the large mining community, since each property has been extended in different ways the mix of housing, and therefore house prices in the area varies dramatically. Some mining cottages have very large gardens backing on to the local nature reserve and have been extended to provide 3 bedroom accommodation, others offer much smaller single story accommodation with lower maintenance yards.

Natural landscape

Uphall Station encompasses a nationally significant population of protected Great Crested Newts, thought to be to third largest breeding site in Scotland[1]. The site, to the North East of the main thoroughfare of Pumpherston Road, is also home to badgers, wild roe deer, foxes, Soprano pipistrelle bats, 17 species of rare and at danger bird species including Grey partridge, yellowhammers, Skylarks and birds of prey. In all, the area is home to over a 100 species of animals and many species of wild flowers. The area is open access and currently utilized as arable farmland as well as a training ground for local amphibian welfare charities due to its highly accessible nature by road and rail.

Crime levels

Uphall Station has a relatively low crime rate compared with the rest of West Lothian and is therefore considered a safe place to raise children. According to Police Scotland, West Lothian has a much lower than average crime and offense rate which is lower than every city in Scotland, including a crime rate nearly 30% lower than Edinburgh, 64% lower than Glasgow and a third lower than Falkirk.[2]

Dishonesty crimes in West Lothian are half that of Edinburgh and violent crime is 72% lower than that of Glasgow. This is possibly attributed to the numerous neighbourhood watch schemes in the area and the number of affluent commuters who reside in the village.

Services

Uphall Station has a population of around 1,026 residents; Uphall Station has a significant proportion of commuters to Edinburgh due to its reputation as a safe commuter village with exceptional links to Edinburgh, Glasgow and other parts of West Lothian through Scotrail, M8 motorway and First Group buses.

Public transport

Chartered bus services depart frequently. These are operated by First Scotland East. Timetables can be viewed online at the Firstgroup website [3]

Uphall rail station is exceptionally popular with Edinburgh commuters with up to four trains an hour from 6am until midnight and the journey taking less than 20 minutes to reach the heart of Edinburgh. Commutes to Glasgow are less common, but still popular due to the reliable service every 15 minutes.

Uphall Station is also ideally situated for Edinburgh airport which is a short drive or taxi ride away.

As of 28 July 2017, a modern night bus operates from Edinburgh to nearby Uphall, leaving Edinburgh at 1am and 2am. This means there is a service from Edinburgh to Uphall/ Uphall Station for 20 hours a day on the weekend, between 6am and 2am.

Amenities

Within Uphall Station, shops and services include: a small supermarket, a hairdresser salon, a bowling club and a Chinese restaurant. West Lothian Council operates a mobile library service as it lies outside the one-mile threshold of a local library. Uphall Station is adjacant to a large country park which houses a variety of local animals including deer, birds of prey, endangered great crested newts and other nesting birds.

References

1. http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland/sescot/search/resultsindex.php?results=889515,88953

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