Place Breich Station code BRC 2011/12 90 Number of platforms 2 | Grid reference NS956606 Managed by Abellio ScotRail 2012/13 102 | |
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Address West Calder EH55 8JQ, United Kingdom Similar Fauldhouse railway station, Carfin railway station, Hartwood railway station, Kirknewton railway station, Cleland railway station | ||
Breich railway station two trains a day total glasgow central to edinburgh line
Breich railway station is a rural railway station serving the village of Breich in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the Shotts Line, 21 miles (34 km) west of Edinburgh Waverley towards Glasgow Central. It is currently the sixth least used station in the UK and the second least used in Scotland, after Barry Links.
Contents
History
The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on their Cleland and Midcalder Line on 9 July 1869. Breich is named after the nearby Breich Water. The station pre-dates the present day (2015) village of Breich and OS maps show that it has never possessed freight facilities such as loading docks and sidings, etc.
The area although now very rural was once highly industrialised with several collieries, lime works, iron workings, etc. nearby, together with the Levenseat Branch of the North British Railway and the originally 4ft 6in Scotch gauge Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness line with its old terminus station of Longridge opened in 1845 and closed in 1848.
A ticket office and waiting room was still present in 1962 as shown by the photograph of that date, together with a linesman's brick hut building, both on the Glasgow bound platform.
The final section of the platforms running towards Edinburgh are slightly higher, have larger edging stones and a different construction suggesting that they were built at a different date than the rest of the platforms.
The station gardens have an unusual diversity of planted shrubs and trees.
2011
Mondays to Saturdays saw one train to Edinburgh and two towards Glasgow Central with no Sunday service.
2016
Monday to Saturdays the station is served by one eastbound towards Edinburgh and one westbound train towards Glasgow Central per day. There is no Sunday service.
Station usage
In 2014-15, Breich was the tenth least-used station in Britain, with 92 passenger exits and entries.
West Lothian Council's Route Utilisation Strategy suggests that if there was an increase in service frequency on the Shotts Line more services could stop at Breich. This could help future developments in the Breich and Longridge areas.