IBM railway station
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
IBM | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Inverclyde |
Owned by | IBM |
Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | IBM |
History | |
Original company | Scottish Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
9 May 1978 | Opened as I B M Halt - unadvertised |
16 May 1983 | Renamed I B M - unadvertised |
12 May 1986 | I B M became publicly advertised |
IBM railway station (formerly known as IBM Halt) is a railway station on the Inverclyde Line, 25½ miles (41 km) west of Glasgow Central.
Clinging to the south slope of Spango Valley on the Glasgow-Wemyss Bay line, IBM Halt opened on 9 May 1978[1] by British Rail to serve what was at that time a thriving computer manufacturing plant employing over 4,000 people. Originally, the stop was unadvertised and only peak time services stopped there, but now, despite the decline in the fortunes and working population of the plant, the facility is publicly advertised and all but one service make the stop.[2]
As the name suggests, it is located within the confines of a large facility formerly owned entirely by IBM, a former major employer for the town of Greenock.
Parts of the site were sold off to companies such as Sanmina-SCI and Lenovo, which have now closed. By June 2009 half of the buildings had been demolished and the site was rebranded as Valley Park, although locals still refer to the complex by its old name. Accordingly, there are no plans to change the station name.
Due to its location away from major housing areas and other transport links, the station is used primarily by people employed in Valley Park, but access to the station and its services by the general public is possible.
Services
There is a daily hourly service on the Inverclyde Line between Glasgow Central and Wemyss Bay.[3]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inverkip | Abellio ScotRail Inverclyde Line |
Branchton |
Gallery
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View of the station and the "Hole of Spango" from Ailleymill Road
References
- ^ Railway Magazine July 1978
- ^ GB Rail Timetable (Table 219) and ScotRail Train Times booklet 8 December 2013
- ^ Table 219 National Rail timetable, May 2016