Did you know there are 360 railway stations in Scotland?
The railway covers huge expanses of our stunning country, with stops from Gretna Green in the south to Thurso and Wick in the north, helping everyone to go about their daily lives or adventures with ease.
Welcome along on our first railway station fact-finding journey…
The oldest station
Let’s start at the very beginning, back in October 1838 when the first station in Scotland that’s still in operation opened. Do you know which one it was? Clue: It’s on the Firth of Tay.
If you said Broughty Ferry, you’re spot on.
This is Scotland’s oldest original railway station that’s still in use. It’s in the handy location of being on both the Glasgow/Edinburgh to Aberdeen lines and sees 36 trains stopping here each day. It’s well worth paying the station and the town a visit. Take a wander down to see Broughty Castle, nestled on the water and enjoy a walk along the town’s award-winning sandy beach.
The busiest station
Back on the train and we’re speeding the 84 miles along the track to the busiest station in Scotland. But which station holds this title?
Anyone say Glasgow Central? If so, gold train sticker for you.
Every day, over 90,000 people pass through the station for work, leisure or connecting onto other services to take them further afield. That’s a whopping 33 million passengers per year! The station is located right in the heart of the city, as the name suggests, so it’s the perfect starting point for a day out in Glasgow. Check out our blogpost on our favourite hidden gems in the city here .
The highest station
Stepping out of the hustle and bustle of the city, our next question is, what’s the highest station in the UK? Clue: It’s on the West Highland Line.
Hands up if you knew it was Corrour station. Well done!
Situated at 408 metres above sea level, it’s the highest mainline station in the UK. Its location is stunning - sitting on its own on the edge of Rannoch Moor, it makes it a great starting point for hill walkers and munro-baggers. It’s even appeared in the film Trainspotting! If you stop off here, we’d love to see your photos. Tweet us @ScotRail.
The station with the most platforms
Heading 137 miles down south from Corrour takes us to our next fact-finding stop. This next station has the most platforms, but which one is it?
Give yourself a pat on the back if you said Edinburgh Waverley.
While the capital’s main station may have been pipped to the post for the title of Scotland’s busiest, it can rest happy with its 20 platforms. That’s three more than Glasgow Central. Waverley is also home to two of Scotland’s newest platforms, numbers five and six to accommodate more services travelling through the station. These now sit where the taxi rank and car park used to be. Platform 12 has also seen some work recently as it was extended to accommodate the shiny new longer Class 385 trains, found on the Glasgow – Edinburgh via Falkirk High line. Have you been on board one yet?
The most northern station
And finally, we’re back on board to travel the 328 miles north from Edinburgh to Scotland’s most northern station. Can you guess which one it is?
A big well done to you if you said Thurso!
This single platform station sits four hours north of Inverness at the end of the Far North Line . The journey to Thurso is spectacular, as you would expect in such remote surroundings. Most of the line follows the coast so it really is a case of sit back, relax and enjoy the view. You’ll be alighting in Thurso if you fancy getting a selfie at John O’Groats. Simply hop on a bus for the twenty-mile journey to the famous signpost.
Thanks for joining us on our first station fact-finding journey. If there are any other facts you’d love to know about Scotland’s stations then let us know over on our social media channels.