Misplaced Pages

Balloch Scottish Gaelic: Am Bealach
Southbound view of the station platform, June 2024
General information
Location	Balloch, West Dunbartonshire Scotland
Coordinates	56°00′08″N 4°34′59″W / 56.0021°N 4.5831°W / 56.0021; -4.5831
Grid reference	NS389818
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BHC
Key dates
24 April 1988	Opened by British Rail
Passengers
2019/20	0.488 million
2020/21	67,320
2021/22	0.279 million
2022/23	0.351 million
2023/24	0.431 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail & Road

Balloch railway station is a railway station serving the town of Balloch in Scotland. The station is a western terminus of the North Clyde Line, sited 20 miles 38 chains (33.0 km) northwest of Glasgow Queen Street, measured via Singer and Maryhill.

History

Although the line through the station was opened in July 1850, the current Balloch station was opened by British Rail and SPTE on 24 April 1988, replacing the former Balloch Central station which was situated immediately north of a level crossing on Balloch Road. Closure of this level crossing was made possible by the closure of the previous terminus station, Balloch Pier, in 1986. The station is located 1⁄2 mile (800 m) south of where Balloch Pier station stood. This relocation allowed the level crossing to be closed.

In 2023, it was announced that Balloch would receive a brand new park & ride facility, at a cost of £50,000.

Location

It lies within the boundary, by just over 150 metres (160 yd), of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park and provides one of few examples of an overhead electrified railway operating within a UK national park.

Facilities

The station has a ticket office, an accessible toilet, a shelter, seats, a help point and bike racks. The station has a stepped entrance from Tullichewan Road, and three step-free entrances from Balloch Road, Lomond Road and Balloch Road. All of the station is step-free.

Passenger volume

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

There is a half-hourly daily service to Airdrie on weekdays and Saturdays, and - on Sundays - to Motherwell (via Whifflet) or Larkhall (via Hamilton Central) alternately (i.e., hourly trains from Balloch to Motherwell/Larkhall).

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Alexandria		ScotRail North Clyde Line		Terminus

References

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
3. Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
4. Quick 2022, p. 64.
5. Butt, R.V.J., (1995)
6. Strathclyde: the Review after the strike Modern Railways issue 445 December 1985 pages 650-651
7. Balloch opens for business Rail issue 82 July 1988 page 15
8. News & Notes: Balloch rebuilt The Railway Magazine issue 1049 September 1988 page 556
9. Clarke, Fraser (13 April 2023). "Balloch Station set for park and ride, as part of local transport funding boost". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
10. OS Explorer Map 347 'Loch Lomond South'
11. "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
12. "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
13. eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 206

Bibliography

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) . Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
• 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.
• Quick, Michael (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
• "Balloch opens for business". RAIL. No. 82. EMAP National Publications. July 1988. p. 15. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.

External links

• Train times and station information for Balloch railway station from National Rail

This Scotland railway station-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Railway stations in West Dunbartonshire
• SPT railway stations
• Railway stations served by ScotRail
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1988
• Railway stations opened by British Rail
• Loch Lomond
• Vale of Leven
• 1988 establishments in Scotland
• Scotland railway station stubs