Uphall railway station
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Scotland
Uphall  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Uphall Station, West Lothian Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 55°55′08″N 3°30′08″W / 55.9190°N 3.5022°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NT061705 | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | UHA | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 12 November 1849 | Opened as Houston[1] | ||||
| 1 August 1865 | Renamed Uphall[1][2] | ||||
| 9 January 1956 | Closed[2] | ||||
| 24 March 1986 | Reopened[2] | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  0.111 million | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.297 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.358 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.457 million | ||||
| 2024/25 | 0.488 million | ||||
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Uphall railway station serves the village of Uphall Station and some areas of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the North Clyde Line, 12½ miles (20 km) west of Edinburgh.
The station was opened as Houston by the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway on 12 November 1849.[1] On 1 August 1856 it was renamed as Uphall.[1][2] The station closed on 9 January 1956.[2]
Uphall Station was a large hub, centred on West Lothian oil production and shale mining. The area has changed beyond recognition in recent years. Before the M8 was constructed, Uphall oil works lay just north of the station, with extensive exchange sidings located next to the station. A branch continued north to Uphall, then swung eastward just south of Ecclesmachan (where a branch from Threemiletown joined). The line continued to the Greendykes area of Broxburn, (Albyn or Albion Oil works) where it connected with the lines from Broxburn junction (Winchburgh) (the Broxburn Railway) and Drumshoreland.
Just to the east of the station lay Uphall Jct., connecting the Camps Branch. This line, 3 miles 52 chains (5.9 km) in length, began with a large set of exchange sidings adjacent to the E&B, and served various sidings, the Pumpherston Oil Co., East Calder and terminated at Raw Camps (Torrance's) quarry. The NBR Camps branch formed a junction with the Caledonian Camps branch at Camps Goods station. The course of these lines can be seen on Ordnance Survey Maps One-inch "Popular" edition.[3]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Park | ScotRail North Clyde Line |
Livingston North | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Drumshoreland Line open; station closed |
North British Railway Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway |
Dechmont Line and station closed | ||
| Livingston Line open; station closed | ||||
Reopening
The station's reopening, with a single platform, came as part of the reopening of the Edinburgh–Bathgate line on 24 March 1986.[2] Ever since, train services at Uphall were normally operated by diesel multiple units (initially Class 101s, then from 1987 Class 150s and by 2008 Class 158 or Class 170s). The station was reopened by British Rail.
The railway was electrified in October 2010 as part of the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link, which resulted in a second platform being brought into service in October 2008. As of December 2010, all trains on the Uphall station line are electrified with passenger usage increasing dramatically due to the reliability of the trains, increased frequency (every 15 minutes Monday - Saturday during peak times) and the short journey times (15–20 minutes into the centre of Edinburgh).
