Perth railway station (Scotland)
Perth railway station is a railway station located in the city of Perth, Scotland, on both the [Glasgow–Dundee line|Glasgow to Dundee railway station|Dundee line] and the Highland Main Line. It is managed by ScotRail, who provide almost all of the services.
It is sited from Carlisle, measured via Stirling, Cumbernauld and Motherwell, and approximately from Ladybank.
History
Openings
The station was opened by the Scottish Central Railway in 1848 to a design by William Tite. Originally the terminus of the SCR main line from Greenhill Junction near Glasgow, it soon became a junction of some importance with the arrival of the Dundee and Perth Railway from Dundee, the Edinburgh and Northern Railway from on the Fife coast and the Scottish Midland Junction Railway from within months. Subsequent construction by the Perth and Dunkeld Railway and the Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway added further lines into/out of the city, with the former becoming part of what is now the Highland Main Line to. The SMJR meanwhile would become part of a through route to by 1856, thus giving Perth travellers easy access to all of the major Scottish cities.All of these lines, apart from the E&NR, were eventually taken over by the Caledonian Railway, though the Highland Railway and North British Railway also had access by means of running powers from Stanley Junction and Hilton Junction respectively.
The NBR would subsequently open a more direct route to the Scottish capital than the Caledonian's route via Stirling and the central lowlands in 1890 – this left the existing Ladybank line at and headed south via Glenfarg to Mawcarse, where it joined the Fife and Kinross Railway's line to Kinross. Trains could then travel via, Dunfermline and the newly opened Forth Rail Bridge to reach Edinburgh.
Closures
The Almond Valley line to and was an early post-nationalisation casualty, closing to passengers in October 1951. The Ladybank service followed suit in September 1955. The major losses though came as the result of the Beeching Axe and its aftermath in the mid-to-late 1960s, with the main line to Aberdeen being closed to passenger traffic on 4 September 1967. Aberdeen services were thereafter routed via Dundee and the former NBR route via. The Aviemore to Forres section of the Highland Main Line had already been closed two years earlier, and several local stations in the area were also shut down around this time.A further significant closure came on 5 January 1970, when the main line to Edinburgh via Glenfarg, Kinross and Cowdenbeath was abandoned in favour of the older but less direct line via Stirling. The Glenfarg route had been recommended for retention and development in the Beeching Report, but its removal allowed the planned M90 motorway to occupy its former alignment in the Glenfarg area when the motorway was built a few years later. However, the longer journey via Stirling proved unpopular with Edinburgh travellers and so in 1975, the old E&NR line to Ladybank was reopened by British Rail to provide a slightly quicker alternative. This is the route followed by most Edinburgh services today, but the daytime and overnight trains to London still run via Stirling and Falkirk as the line via Ladybank and Kirckaldy is served by the Aberdeen to London services.
Location
Perth bus station is situated approximately 100 metres northeast along Leonard Street, part of the A989, from the railway station.Platform layout
The station has seven active platforms, but they are split into two distinct sections:- Platforms 1 and 2 sit on the eastern side and are the busiest in the station as they handle the Glasgow to Dundee and Aberdeen trains. These platforms are from Dundee. The two platform lines then become single further east to cross the bridge spanning the Tay. Platform 3, which adjoins platform 2, is a through platform that sees a few terminating services from the south, although it can be accessed form the north from the Highland Main Line.
- The remainder of the platforms sit under the main train shed, the former HR/SMJR platforms once used by the Coupar Angus main line as well as services to the Highlands. These platforms are an island in the shape of the letter H, with two long platforms along each side - the present platforms 4 and 7. Platforms 5 and 6 are the bays at the southern end of the island. Originally, there were also two bay platforms at the northern end which are no longer used, but part of the track is now a siding for fuelling trains. These disused bay platforms are the zero point for the Highland Main Line, although mileposts do not change until Stanley Junction. Platforms 4–7 now are used only by around a dozen trains per day each way on the Highland Main Line, and some terminating services.
Services
Passenger services are operated by ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, and London North Eastern Railway.There are two main routes passing through the station - the Glasgow to Dundee & Aberdeen Line, and the Highland Main Line, whilst there is now also a regular service to/from Edinburgh via the Fife Coast. Services on weekdays are as follows:
- 40 trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street
- 35 trains per day to Dundee, with 15 extending to Aberdeen, three to Arbroath, one to Inverurie and one to Inverness
- 26 trains per day to Edinburgh, including the LNER Highland Chieftain, and the Caledonian Sleeper
- 11 trains per day to Inverness, including the LNER Highland Chieftain, and the Caledonian Sleeper
- 13 trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street
- 10 trains per day to Aberdeen
- 8 trains per day to Edinburgh including the LNER Highland Chieftain, and the Caledonian Sleeper
- 7 trains per day to Inverness, including the LNER Highland Chieftain, two of which extend to Elgin
- 1 train per day to Dundee
Cultural references
The movie The Railway Man was filmed at Perth station. Platform 3 was used to pose as Crewe, and Platform 5 used to pose as Edinburgh, both set during the 1960s.Perth station was nominated for the Carbuncle Award in 2015, which recognises the worst planning decision. The award was because a new footbridge had to be built at the southern end of the station which has stair and lift access to all platforms to comply with disability laws. Local newspaper The Courier reported on the news and interviewed Paul Tetlaw from the campaign Transform Scotland. He said:
"It's an off-the-shelf structure that has desecrated the station environment, imposed from London by 'standards bound' Network Rail designers and has no fit with the largely Victorian surroundings. To add insult to injury, it's virtually unused, as the alternatives within the station building are vastly more convenient for the overwhelming majority of passengers. This tacky and inappropriate new structure is thought to have cost in excess of £1m — money which would have been better spent on opening a new station in nearby Newburgh, which has none, with cash left over for a feasibility study of recreating a direct Perth-Edinburgh link, as advocated by our inter-city express campaign."