Station code DBL 2011/12 0.495 million Number of platforms 3 | Grid reference NN780009 2012/13 0.504 million | |
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Similar Bridge of Allan railway st, Larbert railway station, Falkirk Grahamston railway st, Linlithgow railway station, Polmont railway station | ||
Dunblane railway station
Dunblane railway station serves the town of Dunblane in central Scotland. It is located on the former Scottish Central Railway, between Stirling and Perth and opened with the line in 1848.
Contents
Dunblane railway station 21 6 09
Facilities
It has three platforms, one which serves as a terminus for trains from Glasgow (Queen Street) and Edinburgh, one which serves trains heading north to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness and the third that serves trains heading south to Glasgow and Edinburgh. These include those that terminate at Dunblane, which travel up the northbound line to the signal box to reverse & cross over to the southbound track before heading back down to the station.The signal box in question now operates only the points and signals here.
The station is staffed by one person who runs the ticket office and does most jobs around the station. Several plants have been placed around the station by a voluntary group known as 'Dunblane in Bloom'.
In September 2014, a new footbridge opened with the original footbridge removed.
Services
The train operating company that serves Dunblane station is Abellio ScotRail. Trains generally leave for Edinburgh at 28 and 58 minutes past the hour, and for Glasgow (Queen Street) at 13 minutes past the hour, though this is supplemented by trains from the north. These trains serve all intermediate stations en route, whereas the services from further afield serve principal stations only.
Four trains each way between Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness, 146 miles (235 km) away, stop here along with a number of services to either Dundee or Aberdeen.
On Sundays, there is a local hourly service to Edinburgh and hourly calls each way by the Aberdeen to Glasgow service, along with three Inverness to Glasgow (and vice versa) services. The southbound Virgin Trains East Coast service between Inverness and London Kings Cross also stops here.
Train types
Abellio ScotRail trains serving Dunblane are all DMUs. These consist mainly of Class 158 and Class 170 sets. Some services are still operated by a Class 156. The only exception to this is the Caledonian Sleeper service from Inverness to London Euston, which is a loco hauled rake of Mk2 and Mk3 coaches.
The Virgin Trains East Coast that stops here is operated by HST sets, made up of a pair of Class 43 power cars and nine Mk3 coaches.
Future Improvements
The lines from both Edinburgh & Glasgow via Stirling are due to be electrified by 2018 as part of the modernisation work associated with the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme, which will see track layout changes and re-signalling work take place here.
Once this project is completed, a major timetable recast will follow - this will lead to reduced journey times to both main cities and a more frequent service to Perth & Dundee.
Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Dunblane used to be a junction where the present line and the Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway diverged. This connected at Callander to the Callander and Oban Railway. The line was axed in the Beeching cuts, being formally closed on 1 November 1965 (although traffic beyond Callander had ended five weeks earlier due to a landslide in Glen Ogle).
Parts of the trackbed from near Dunblane to Doune and from Callander to Killin are now cycle paths.
A short section of track remains on the branch, and is used for storing track maintenance machines, or sometimes even a DMU.