Aberdeen railway station
Encyclopedia
Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen
, Scotland
. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow
and Edinburgh
.
The station currently standing was built as Aberdeen Joint Station between 1913–16, replacing an 1867 structure of the same name, on the same site. The station and the new Denburn Valley Line enabled the main line from the south and the commuter line from Deeside
to connect with the line from the north. The lines from the south had previously terminated at the adjacent Aberdeen Guild Street. Even this had not been Aberdeen's first railway station, that distinction belonging to a previous terminus a short way south at Ferryhill. After the construction of the Joint Station, Guild Street Station became a goods station. Some of its tracks remain, but the vast majority of the site was cleared in 2005.
Prior to the construction of the Joint Station, lines from the north had terminated at Aberdeen Waterloo
, a short but inconvenient distance along the edge of the harbour. This too became a goods station after the construction of the Joint Station. There is no longer a station at the site, but a goods service runs approximately weekly to industrial operations there. The Waterloo tracks join the north-south connecting Denburn Valley Line in the Kittybrewster
area of the city, where the very first terminus of the lines from the north had briefly been, before extension and the building of the Waterloo Station. As far north as Inverurie
, these follow the route of the Aberdeenshire Canal
which had been purchased and filled in by the Great North of Scotland Railway
.
As a result of the grouping of railway companies caused by the Railways Act 1921
, Aberdeen came under the auspices of the London and North Eastern Railway
. It later became part of British Rail
and is now managed by First ScotRail
.
It was announced in 2006, that as part of the Union Square retail project, the railway and bus stations would undergo major refurbishment, including new ticket gates, a new ticket office and improved parking. The automatic ticket gates have since been installed.
There is a Travel Office for information and ticket purchasing, as well as automatic ticket machines outside this office. The office often closes before the last trains have departed. Scotrail first class Lounge entrance is located inside the office.
There is a branch of bookshop/confectioner WH Smith and a pub and café on the concourse, with other shopping and eating facilities located in Union Square.
There are toilets accessible from the concourse, in addition to toilet facilities in the café (free to customers) and on most trains (free to passengers).
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
History
River Dee, Aberdeenshire
The River Dee is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through Strathdee to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen...
to connect with the line from the north. The lines from the south had previously terminated at the adjacent Aberdeen Guild Street. Even this had not been Aberdeen's first railway station, that distinction belonging to a previous terminus a short way south at Ferryhill. After the construction of the Joint Station, Guild Street Station became a goods station. Some of its tracks remain, but the vast majority of the site was cleared in 2005.
Prior to the construction of the Joint Station, lines from the north had terminated at Aberdeen Waterloo
Aberdeen Waterloo railway station
Aberdeen Waterloo station opened on 1 April 1856 to serve the Great North of Scotland Railway main line to Keith. It was located on Waterloo Quay in the city centre. It closed to passengers in 1867 once opened, but the track remains in use as a freight siding for the docks. The passenger station...
, a short but inconvenient distance along the edge of the harbour. This too became a goods station after the construction of the Joint Station. There is no longer a station at the site, but a goods service runs approximately weekly to industrial operations there. The Waterloo tracks join the north-south connecting Denburn Valley Line in the Kittybrewster
Kittybrewster
Kittybrewster is an area within Aberdeen, Scotland, north of the city centre and roughly south-west of Old Aberdeen.-Transport:Within the area the A9012 road joins the A978 road; there are also several railway tracks, one of which follows the route of the Aberdeenshire Canal...
area of the city, where the very first terminus of the lines from the north had briefly been, before extension and the building of the Waterloo Station. As far north as Inverurie
Inverurie
Inverurie is a Royal Burgh and town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line...
, these follow the route of the Aberdeenshire Canal
Aberdeenshire Canal
The Aberdeenshire Canal was a waterway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, designed by John Rennie, which ran from the port of Aberdeen to Port Elphinstone, Inverurie...
which had been purchased and filled in by the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
.
As a result of the grouping of railway companies caused by the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, Aberdeen came under the auspices of the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
. It later became part of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
and is now managed by First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
.
It was announced in 2006, that as part of the Union Square retail project, the railway and bus stations would undergo major refurbishment, including new ticket gates, a new ticket office and improved parking. The automatic ticket gates have since been installed.
Station services
Medium-term parking is available in the adjoining College Street Car Park and there are also a small number of free spaces which offer parking for 20 minutes only in a separate section of the car park. There is a taxi stand immediately within the station concourse and regional and national bus services leave from Aberdeen Bus Station, which is located on the other side of the adjoining Union Square shopping and entertainment complex.There is a Travel Office for information and ticket purchasing, as well as automatic ticket machines outside this office. The office often closes before the last trains have departed. Scotrail first class Lounge entrance is located inside the office.
There is a branch of bookshop/confectioner WH Smith and a pub and café on the concourse, with other shopping and eating facilities located in Union Square.
There are toilets accessible from the concourse, in addition to toilet facilities in the café (free to customers) and on most trains (free to passengers).
Rail services and train operators
The services from Aberdeen for the Summer 2011 timetable (from 22 May 2011) are:ScotRail
- 1tph to via operated by Class 158 Express Sprinter unitsBritish Rail Class 158British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
or Class 170 Turbostar units. - 1tph to via , and operated by Class 158 Express Sprinter unitsBritish Rail Class 158British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
or Class 170 Turbostar units. - 1tp2h to via , , and operated by Class 158 Express Sprinter unitsBritish Rail Class 158British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
or Class 170 Turbostar units. - 1pd to via , , and (Caledonian SleeperCaledonian SleeperThe Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
).
East Coast
- 3tpd to via , , and . These services are operated by InterCity 125 HSTInterCity 125The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
. - 1tpd to via , , and . These services are operated by InterCity 125 HSTInterCity 125The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
.
CrossCountry
- 1tpd to to Penzance, along the Cross Country Route via , , , , , , , , , , and . There is one northbound service to Aberdeen. These services are operated by Class 220 Voyager unitsBritish Rail Class 220The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001....
.