Galashiels railway station

Galashiels
General information
Location	Galashiels, Scottish Borders Scotland
Coordinates	55°37′04″N 2°48′20″W
Grid reference	NT493361
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	GAL
History
Original company	Edinburgh and Hawick Railway
Pre-grouping	North British Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway British Rail (Scottish Region)
Key dates
20 February 1849	Opened
5 January 1969	Closed
6 September 2015	Reopened at a different site
Passengers
2019/20	0.328 million
2020/21	37,486
2021/22	0.187 million
2022/23	0.269 million
2023/24	0.320 million
Location Galashiels Location in Scottish Borders, Scotland
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Galashiels is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 33 miles 22 chains (54 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Galashiels in Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.

History

The station was opened on 20 February 1849 by the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway,[1] which later became known as the Waverley Route. The line was nicknamed after the popular Waverley Novels, written by Sir Walter Scott.[2][3][4]

Upon completion on 1 July 1862, the line ran from Carlisle to Edinburgh Waverley via Hawick, covering a distance of 98+1⁄4 miles (158 km). The station, along with the line, was closed by British Rail on 5 January 1969.[1]

A train at the station

Following the opening of the Borders Railway on 6 September 2015, the line was extended 30 miles 60 chains (49 km) south-east from Newcraighall to Tweedbank. The current station is located slightly to the north of the original.[5]

Services

Borders Railway
v t e
(including Edinburgh Crossrail)
Fife Circle Line North Clyde Line Edinburgh Park South Gyle Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley Brunstane Newcraighall Shawfair Eskbank Newtongrange Gorebridge Stow Galashiels Tweedbank

As of the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank, with a half-hourly service operating at peak times (Monday to Saturday). Some peak time trains continue to Glenrothes with Thornton. All services are operated by ScotRail.[6]

Rolling stock used: Class 158 Express Sprinter and Class 170 Turbostar

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Stow		ScotRail Borders Railway		Tweedbank
	Historical railways
Bowland		North British Railway Waverley Route		Melrose
	Disused railways
Clovenfords		North British Railway Peebles Railway		Terminus
Terminus		North British Railway Selkirk and Galashiels Railway		Abbotsford Ferry

References

1. Quick 2022, p. 201.
2. Caplan (1985), p. 5.
3. Thomas (1969), p. 96.
4. Thomas (1981), p. 60.
5. "Borders to Edinburgh railway opens as longest line in UK in a century". BBC News. 6 September 2015.
6. "Train times: Edinburgh – Newcraighall – Tweedbank / Dùn Èideann – Talla na Creige Nuadh – Bruach Thuaidh" (PDF). ScotRail. 16 May 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.

Sources

• Caplan, Neil (1985). The Waverley Route. Railway World Special. Weybridge: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1541-4.
• Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
• Thomas, John (1969). The North British Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4697-0.
• Thomas, John (1981) [1976]. Scotland. Forgotten Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8193-8.

External links

• Media related to Galashiels railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Train times and station information for Galashiels railway station from National Rail