Whifflet

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Whifflet (1992-)

Station code: WFF National Rail ScotRail
Where: North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Opened on the Whifflet Extension (Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway).
Open on the Hamilton Circle.

Description

This is a two platform station. The present station is very close to the site of the first Whifflet station, originally spelled Whifflat. It was just to the south east at Whifflet South Junction.

A new station, Whifflet Low Level, was opened further north on the opening of the Airdrie Branch (Caledonian Railway) and its high level station Whifflet [High Level]. The replacement station closed in 1962.

The present Whifflet station opened with the re-opening of the Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) to local DMU trains from Glasgow Central High Level in 1992, operating as a terminus for that line. As the station is located on a main line, between uses these trains would wait on the parallel North British Railway to leave the line clear.

With electrification of the Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) the station is no longer used as a terminus with trains continuing south, most coming from locations to the west of Glasgow and passing through Glasgow Central Low Level and returning to Glasgow via Hamilton Central.

Tags

Station terminus

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map




Chronology Dates

  /  /1829Wishaw and Coltness Railway
Act receives Royal assent. Line gauge was 4ft 6in and was extended slowly south from Whifflet and Carnbroe Iron Works to the Coltness Iron Works Railway and the Chapel Colliery. A branch was authorised to Newarthill to meet the Omoa Iron Works Railway. Further authorised branches to Rosehall and Law were not built.
25/01/1834Wishaw and Coltness Railway
First portion of line opened from Whifflet to Holytown [1st] for minerals. (This portion included the Holytown Tunnel south of Carnbroe.)
  /  /1848Wishaw and Coltness Railway
Deviation and improvement, between Garriongill Junction and Whifflet and with new curve at Carnbroe, authorised.
01/11/1878Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway
Whifflet to Bothwell Castle opened for goods.
01/05/1879Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway
Whifflet to Bothwell [North British] opened for passengers. Bellshill [NB] opened.
02/09/1945Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway
Bellshill [NB] North Signal Box closed on singling of Bothwell [North British] to Whifflet line.
13/07/1954Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway
Bothwell [North British] to Whifflet closed.
04/10/1993Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway
Whifflet station opened
04/10/1993Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Local passenger service established between Glasgow (Rutherglen East Junction) and Whifflet. Trains interconnect with services to Motherwell and Coatbridge Central. 'Heritage' Diesel Multiple Units were used.
11/12/1994Glasgow Central Railway
The River Kelvin bursts its banks and floods the disused tunnels from Kelvin Bridge to Stobcross, where it floods the open Argyle Line railway. (Alternative date 9th.) The route through Glasgow Central Low Level is closed between Partick and Rutherglen and trains are diverted onto the Sunnyside Junction to Whifflet section of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway for access to Motherwell. This remains in operation for around nine months. Units 314208 and 314212 are trapped in the floodwater at Glasgow Central where the water reached half way up the sides of the carriages.

News items

19/08/2022£2.2 million Coatbridge upgrade keeps vital freight on the move [Network Rail]
13/08/2022ScotRail announce travel disruption for Lanarkshire commuters amidst engineering works [Daily Record]
02/02/2021Vehicle crashes into bridge in Coatbridge suspending train services [Daily Record]
29/07/2015Rail bridge slid into place as £500m motorway upgrade continues [BBC News]
10/08/2014£30m railway project misses sports dates [Evening Times]