Blackford Hill railway station

Blackford Hill railway station was a railway station in the Blackford area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was located at the foot of Blackford Hill on the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway (ESSJR). It was opened on 1 December 1884.

This article is about the former Edinburgh station. For the former Blackford station in Perth and Kinross, see Scottish Central Railway.

Blackford Hill
Blackford Hill Station in 1962
General information
LocationNewington, City of Edinburgh
Scotland
Coordinates55.927232°N 3.1882577°W / 55.927232; -3.1882577
Grid referenceNT258711
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyEdinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 December 1884Opened
1 January 1917Closed due to the wartime economy
1 February 1919Re-opened
10 September 1962Station closed to passengers
Location
Blackford Hill is located in the City of Edinburgh council area
Blackford Hill
Blackford Hill
Location within the City of Edinburgh council area

Blackford Hill station closed in 1962, when passenger rail services were withdrawn from the Edinburgh Suburban line although the line itself was retained for rail freight use. The route continues to be used for freight services to this day, so freight trains avoid Edinburgh's main stations of Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket, and occasionally diverted passenger trains also pass along this line.

A 1905 Railway Clearing House diagram of Edinburgh railways, with the SSJR (in blue along the bottom)

Future

A local campaigning group, the Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG), is running a campaign for the SSJR line to be re-opened to passenger services, and proposes that it should be operated either as a commuter rail service or as a light rail system to form an extension of the forthcoming Edinburgh Tram Network.[1] Following a petition submitted to the Scottish Parliament in 2007, the proposal was rejected in 2009 by transport planners due to anticipated cost.[2]

References
  1. "Reopening the South Sub" (PDF). Transform Scotland. March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  2. "Public Petitions Committee Official Report". Scottish Parliament. 27 January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Newington
Line open, station closed		   North British Railway
Edinburgh Suburban Line		   Morningside Road
Line open, station closed


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