Blackford Hill railway station explained

Blackford Hill
Status:Disused
Borough:Newington, City of Edinburgh
Country:Scotland
Coordinates:55.9272°N -3.1883°W
Map Type:Edinburgh
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:2
Original:Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
Pregroup:North British Railway
Postgroup:London and North Eastern Railway
Years:1 December 1884
Events:Opened
Years1:1 January 1917
Events1:Closed due to the wartime economy
Years2:1 February 1919
Events2:Re-opened
Years3:10 September 1962
Events3:Station closed to passengers

Blackford Hill railway station was a railway station in the Blackford area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was located at the foot of Blackford Hill on the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway (ESSJR). It was opened on 1 December 1884.

Blackford Hill station closed in 1962, when passenger rail services were withdrawn from the Edinburgh Suburban line although the line itself was retained for rail freight use. The route continues to be used for freight services to this day, so freight trains avoid Edinburgh's main stations of Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket, and occasionally diverted passenger trains also pass along this line.

Future

A local campaigning group, the Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG), is running a campaign for the SSJR line to be re-opened to passenger services, and proposes that it should be operated either as a commuter rail service or as a light rail system to form an extension of the forthcoming Edinburgh Tram Network.[1] Following a petition submitted to the Scottish Parliament in 2007, the proposal was rejected in 2009 by transport planners due to anticipated cost.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reopening the South Sub. March 2007. Transform Scotland. 8 January 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110811173148/http://archive.transformscotland.org.uk/info/docs/2007-03-30_ESSR.pdf. 11 August 2011. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Public Petitions Committee Official Report. 27 January 2009. Scottish Parliament. 8 January 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110605224520/http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/or-09/pu09-0202.htm#Col1450. 5 June 2011. dmy-all.