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Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Description

This was the Leith passenger terminus for trains from Edinburgh Canal Street until 1868 when these were re-routed to the new more easily graded route via Leith Walk to reach Edinburgh Waverley.

The station building fronted Commercial Street and Citadel Street and has a fine single storey classically styled frontage with a columns on either side of the entries. The passenger station's platform area was modest. Although initially sufficient it was not ideal as time went on. This was a very cramped site. There were two platforms with three lines between covered with a trainshed. To the south was a two faced loading bank and to the west a dock platform. The trainshed was severely cut back before closure.

The station was on the south side of Commercial Street and a goods line continued down the west side of the station to serve Leith West Old Dock and Leith East Old Dock and later further Leith docks.

The goods facilities (North Leith Goods) were enlarged around 1864 and moved from east side of the line to the docks to the west side. Later the tunnel was shorted at north end to allow a larger station throat and more lines in the goods yard.

A signal box opened in 1894. This was on the west side of the passenger station and east side of the goods line running north to the docks.

The station closed to passengers in 1947. The box closed in 1952. The railway closed in 1968.

The fine station frontage on Commercial Street still stands.The building is now in use as the Citadel Youth Centre .

Local

On the north side of Commercial Street a long range of former warehouses run from Ocean Drive, to the west, as far east as the Water of Leith.

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