IBM railway station
Disused railway station in Inverclyde, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IBM railway station (formerly known as IBM Halt) is a disused railway station on the Inverclyde Line, 5 miles 22 chains (8.5 km) west of Wemyss Bay Junction at Port Glasgow, and approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow Central.[2]
IBM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The platform of the former IBM station in 2009 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Greenock, Inverclyde Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 55.9295°N 4.8271°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NS234743 | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Services suspended | ||||
| Station code | IBM[1] | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 8 December 2018 | Last usage prior to services being suspended | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2014/15 |  47,376 | ||||
| 2015/16 | 22,016 | ||||
| 2016/17 | 6,032 | ||||
| 2017/18 | 768 | ||||
| 2018/19 | 506 | ||||
| ^ |  Services Suspended | ||||
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History
Clinging to the south slope of Spango Valley on the Glasgow-Wemyss Bay line, IBM Halt was opened on 9 May 1978[3] by British Rail to serve what was at that time a thriving IBM computer manufacturing plant, employing over 4,000 people. Originally, the stop was unadvertised and only peak-time services stopped there, but subsequently the station was publicly advertised, and all but one service stopped there.[4]
The station was located within the confines of a large facility formerly owned entirely by IBM, a major employer for the town of Greenock until the plant closed. Parts of the site were sold off to companies such as Sanmina-SCI and Lenovo, which have now closed as well. By June 2009, half of the buildings had been demolished, and the site was re-branded as Valley Park.[citation needed]
Until 16 May 1983, it was the only station to have the suffix "halt"[5] (two others have it now, Coombe Junction and St Keyne Wishing Well on the Looe Valley Line in Cornwall). By 1974, the term "halt" had been removed from British Rail timetables, station signs, and other official documents. The return of the term came in 1978 for the opening of IBM Halt, and in the renaming of the two Cornish stations in 2008.[citation needed]
Service suspension
The station had its service suspended with effect from 9 December 2018, with ScotRail citing low patronage and anti-social behaviour on the nearby derelict IBM site. Services may be re-introduced once the site is rebuilt, although there is no fixed timeline for that to happen.[6][7][8] A planning application for a mixed-use development on the IBM site, which would involve the reopening of the station, was submitted in February 2020.[9]
Passenger volume
Due to its location away from major housing areas and other transport links, the station was used primarily by people employed in Valley Park, but access to the station by the general public was possible. Despite an hourly service, the annual patronage declined dramatically, from well over 100,000, to about 500 when the services were suspended.[8]
| 2002–03 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 94,462 | 128,741 | 117,359 | 93,954 | 93,519 | 153,358 | 145,664 | 136,414 | 127,828 | 122,590 | 71,128 | 47,376 | 22,016 | 6,032 | 768 | 506 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
Prior to the suspension of services, the station was served by an hourly service on the Inverclyde Line between Glasgow Central and Wemyss Bay.[11]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverkip | ScotRail Inverclyde Line (Service suspended) |
Branchton | ||
