Blackridge railway station

Blackridge Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Other names	Scottish Gaelic: An Druim Dubh
Location	West Lothian
Coordinates	55.8844°N 3.7502°W / 55.8844; -3.7502
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BKR
History
Original company	Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
Pre-grouping	North British Railway
Post-grouping	LNER
Key dates
11 August 1862	Opened as Westcraigs
9 January 1956	Closed
12 December 2010	Reopened

Blackridge railway station is a railway station on the North Clyde Line. It is serves the village of Blackridge, West Lothian, Scotland.

History

The original station in this locale was called Westcraigs built by the Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway. It was also the site of a junction with the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway. Opened on 11 August 1862, in some timetables the station was called Westcraigs for Harthill.

As part of the Beeching cuts, the station closed on 9 January 1956.

Reopening

Blackridge was originally excluded from the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link project, but after a three-year campaign by the local community, funding has been approved by the Scottish Government at a cost of £5 million. Private housing developer Manorlane agreed to fund 40% of the costs. However, it closed and the funding promise expired. West Lothian Council agreed to take on the burden and expects to recoup the cost from additional expansion in the area. The station opened on 12 December 2010 on a new site, some 600 metres closer to Edinburgh than the previous Westcraigs station.

Gallery

• 
  Platform 2 on the day of opening
• 
  Bilingual station sign

Services

The station has a basic half-hourly off-peak service Mondays to Sundays, westbound to Airdrie, Queen St Low Level and Milngavie and eastbound to Bathgate and Edinburgh Waverley. In the evenings and on Sundays the westbound terminus is Helensburgh Central rather than Milngavie.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Armadale		Abellio ScotRail North Clyde Line		Caldercruix
	Historical railways
Armadale Line and station open		Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway North British Railway		Forrestfield Line open; station closed

References

Sources

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• 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.
• RAILSCOT on Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
• West Craigs station on navigable OS map