This is the main station in Edinburgh and acts as both a terminus and through station. The larger part of the station is covered by a large glazed roof by Blyth and Cunningham and is an island platform with bays at either end. There is a smaller island platform outwith the main roof on the south side.
Services operate to every Scottish city and many long distance services to destinations in England.
Given the city location, the original construction of the station and its subsequent expansions has required purchase and demolition of many buildings (for example the Edinburgh Orphan^s Hospital was demolished in 1845 to make space). Even the former Canal Street was subsumed into the station expansion.
The out of use Waverley West box, on the south side of the line, is ^B^ listed.
There are tram stops nearby. Princes Street [Tram] is to the north west and St Andrew Square [Tram] to the north.
The station opened in 1846, an end-on junction between the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway to the west and North British Railway to the east. Initially there were two through platforms, five lines between the platforms. The booking office was at the west end, above the lines, on the Waverley Bridge.
To the north was Canal Street (1847) and to the north again Canal Street station. A tight curve linked the Mound Tunnels to the Scotland Street Tunnel.
To the south was the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway^s goods yard.
There was a major reconstruction in advance of, and following, the opening of the Forth Bridge in 1890. The 34,000 square metres roof was added in 1897. The railway west to Saughton Junction and east to Portobello East Junction was progressively quadrupled.
The North British Station Hotel was built to the north of the station, towering over it. It was sold by the British Transport Hotels in 1981. It is now the Balmoral Hotel , leading to the north side of the station being known as the Balmoral side.
The Scott Monument , commemorating Sir Walter Scott, is to the north of the station on Princes Street.
The Scottish National Gallery is on The Mount to the west of the station.
Edinburgh Castle is less than half a mile to the south west of the station.
Nearby stations Princes Street [1st] St Andrew Square [Tram] York Place [Tram] Picardy Place [Tram] Princes Street [Tram] Scotland Street McDonald Road [Tram] Edinburgh Princes Street Leith Walk Lothian Road St Leonards Abbeyhill Easter Road Shandwick Place [Tram] Balfour Street [Tram] | Waterloo Place [Tram] Waterloo Place Edinburgh Signalling Centre Edinburgh Waverley Goods Mound Tunnels The Mound [Tram] Scotland Street Tunnel Tourist/other The Balmoral Hotel Scott Monument St Giles Cathedral Gladstone^s Land Scottish National Gallery Calton Hill Camera Obscura National Museum of Scotland |
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. |
Station wallsThe station was rebuilt in the 1890s. The station roof is supported on the north side by the Balmoral Wall, named for The Balmoral Hotel to the north. The south wall is the Klondyke Wall, named for the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899. Early photographsAn early photograph by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson of demolition before the station^s construction exists. National Galleries - Trinity College Chapel and Hospital, with Calton Hill in the background A similar view by George Washington Wilson shows the station once open. National Galleries - Calton Hill, Edinburgh A view by Ross and Thomson shows the station from the west. National Galleries - Edinburgh from the Castle |
/ /1762 | Nor Loch, Edinburgh Drained, this was the future site of North British Railway^s Edinburgh Waverley station. |
/ /1846 | Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Edinburgh General station (Edinburgh Waverley) opened further east from Haymarket, the former terminus. |
18/06/1846 | North British Railway Opened from Edinburgh North Bridge to Berwick and the branch from Longniddry to Haddington. |
01/08/1846 | Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Line extended from Haymarket to meet the North British Railway at North Bridge station. |
/ /1848 | North British Railway Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, pulled down to make room for North Bridge station. |
01/07/1862 | Border Union Railway (North British Railway) The line from Edinburgh Waverley to Carlisle Citadel via Galashiels and Hawick [2nd] is completed. The line opened from Hawick [2nd] to Scotch Dyke. Stations opened at Hawick [2nd], Barnes, Shankend, Riccarton, Steele Road, Newcastleton, Kershope Foot, Penton, Riddings Junction (and Canonbie on the incomplete Langholm branch). (Alternative date 01/08/1862.) |
01/06/1869 | North Eastern Railway
North British Railway
North Eastern Railway locomotives hauling trains from the south start running through over the North British Railway to Edinburgh Waverley. |
/07/1888 | Nottingham and Melton Line (Midland Railway) London St Pancras - Glasgow St Enoch and Edinburgh Waverley trains start to use line. |
/ /1889 | Leith New Lines (Caledonian Railway) Leith New Lines planned; (Newhaven to Leith passenger terminus by North British Railway's Leith station, a triangular junction at Lochend with a line to Edinburgh Princes Street under the city with a branch to Waverley Market by Edinburgh Waverley station). Branch to Leith Edinburgh Dock authorised. |
/ /1890 | Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway During Edinburgh Waverley station expansion the tunnel mouth and station at Canal Street are demolished. |
/ /1890 | Caledonian Railway Caledonian Railway trains for the north now use Edinburgh Princes Street and the Dalry Junction to Haymarket West Junction link. The Caledonian Railway booking office at Edinburgh Waverley closes on 30/09/1890. |
/ /1891 | North British Railway Expansion of Edinburgh Waverley authorised. |
14/01/1897 | North Eastern Railway
North British Railway North Eastern Railway locomotives cease to run through through over the North British Railway to Edinburgh Waverley. |
15/01/1897 | North British Railway The North British Railway begins to operate the through trains from Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross from Edinburgh as far as Berwick where the North Eastern Railway takes over. |
28/12/1906 | Dundee and Arbroath Railway A North British Railway express which had been travelling from Edinburgh Waverley to Aberdeen Joint is blocked by snow at Arbroath and returns south. It strikes a local Caledonian Railway Arbroath to Dundee East train at Elliot Junction in a blizzard killing 22 passengers. |
02/11/1925 | Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway Granton to Powderhall (Bonnington South Junction) closed to passengers on withdrawal of Granton to Edinburgh Waverley service. |
08/01/1956 | Glasgow City and District Railway
Coatbridge Branch (North British Railway)
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways)
Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways)
Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Last regular Glasgow Queen Street Low Level to Edinburgh Waverley via Shettleston, Coatbridge Sunnyside and Bathgate Upper service runs. |
04/03/1964 | Dalry Road Lines (Caledonian Railway) Stirling and Falkirk trains diverted from Edinburgh Princes Street to Edinburgh Waverley. |
06/10/1975 | Edinburgh and Northern Railway Some Perth to Edinburgh Waverley workings diverted from via Stirling to via Newburgh [2nd]. |
02/08/1981 | West Highland Railway
Callander and Oban Railway A Class 55 ^Deltic^ visits Oban for the first time (55021 ^Argyll and Sutherland Highlander^) on a ^Merrymaker^ excursion from Edinburgh Waverley to Oban. |
23/08/1981 | West Highland Railway
Callander and Oban Railway Second visit of ^Deltic^ 55021 to Oban on a ^Merrymaker^ excursion from Edinburgh Waverley. |
/ /1983 | Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway The south end of the tunnel at Canal Street station is found and then destroyed during building of the Waverley Centre to the north of Edinburgh Waverley. |
/ /1991 | North British Railway North British Station Hotel, by Edinburgh Waverley, becomes the The Balmoral Hotel. |
31/03/1997 | British Railways The last British Rail trains run: the 23:55 from Edinburgh Waverley to London Euston Sleeper, and 23:55 London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley Sleeper. |
/02/1998 | North British Railway Abbeymont station proposed, half a mile east of Edinburgh Waverley, to serve the new Scottish Parliament building. |
/06/2000 | Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway Strategic Rail Authority to contribute £800,000 towards the operation of Edinburgh CrossRail - a half hour service from west of Edinburgh through Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley to new stations at Brunstane and Kinnaird Park. The Scottish Executive has commited £8M. |
/09/2002 | Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Railtrack announces re-wiring of Edinburgh Waverley signal box, despite impending remodelling of Edinburgh Waverley station. |
17/01/2004 | North British Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway During a two day (17-18) blockade Edinburgh Waverley^s signalled and control equipment is re-fitted. |
/08/2011 | North British Railway Escalators from Edinburgh Waverley to Princes Street being installed. |