Abbeyhill

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Abbeyhill (1869-1964)

Opened on the Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway).

Description

This was a two platform station with waiting shelters at platform level and a booking office over the line on London Road and stairways running down to platform level. The station opened with the Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway).

Although the station did not directly have its own goods yard there was a coal depot just to the south, Rose Lane Goods.

The station was on a curving section of line. At the west end of the station was Abbeyhill Junction (with the North British Railway) and at the north end was London Road Junction [Edinburgh].

Closure was in 1964 although the platforms and booking office remained in place for many years. The Abbeyhill Junction to Piershill Junction loop closed in 1988. The booking office was removed in the 2000s. A platform remains here and some track may be buried under spoil.

Tags

Station




Nearby stations
Easter Road
Meadowbank Stadium
Easter Road Park Halt
St Margaret^s
Piershill
McDonald Road [Tram]
Leith Walk
Balfour Street [Tram]
Picardy Place [Tram]
York Place [Tram]
Jock^s Lodge
Leith Walk [CR]
Edinburgh Waverley
Leith Central
Foot of the Walk [Tram]
Rose Lane Goods
London Road Junction [Edinburgh]
Iron Foundry
Waverley Engineering Works
Abbeyhill Junction
Croit an Righ Brewery
St Ann^s Brewery
St Andrew Steel Works
Easter Road Junction
Lochend Junction
Lochend North Junction
Easter Road Stadium
St Margarets Wagon Sheets
Tourist/other
Holyrood Abbey
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Chronology Dates

02/03/1868Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
A new diversion opened to goods (Abbeyhill and Piershill to Trinity Junction with a spur onto the [North] Leith branch at Bonnington East Junction). This by-passed the cable operated incline between Canal Street [Edinburgh] and Scotland Street.
22/03/1868Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Passenger trains diverted from the Canal Street [Edinburgh] route to via Abbeyhill. A passenger station is opened at Leith Walk.
01/05/1869Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Abbeyhill opened on the diversion.
22/07/1885Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
An act for a line between London Road Junction [Edinburgh] (by Abbeyhill) and Lochend South Junction (then called Lochend Junction) is passed.
16/06/1947Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Passenger services to North Leith withdrawn. Easter Road, Bonnington, Junction Road and North Leith stations closed on withdrawal of Leith to Edinburgh via Abbeyhill service.
07/04/1952Leith Central Branch (North British Railway)
Leith Central to Abbeyhill and Piershill closed to passengers.
07/09/1964Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Edinburgh; Abbeyhill Junction to Piershill Junction loop closed to regular passenger trains. Piershill and Abbeyhill stations closed. (Coinciding with the closure of Musselburgh [1st].)
07/09/1964Musselburgh Branch (North British Railway)
Musselburgh [1st] closed to passengers, resulting in the closure of Piershill and Abbeyhill on the Abbeyhill Loop.
  /07/1986Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Meadowbank Stadium station opened on the westbound track of the Abbeyhill to Piershill loop (for the Commonwealth games).
  /  /1989Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Track singled from Piershill Junction to Powderhall, and the Abbeyhill route is disconnected at Lochend South Junction.
  /  /1994Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Solum of Abbeyhill loop retained by British Railways on transfer of operational infrastructure to Railtrack.
  /03/2000Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
Rail Property wishes to sell 175m of trackbed at Abbeyhill for redevelopment and faces opposition.

News items

08/09/2022Edinburgh's South Suburban Railway: Why an Edinburgh railway line closed 60 years ago today [Edinburgh News]
11/11/2021Looking back at Edinburgh's lost railway stations with one set to be restored soon [Edinburgh Live]
01/08/2019Sleeper train overshoots a platform at Edinburgh Waverley [BBC News]
05/03/2008Rail bosses in bid to buy up unused tracks [Evening News]
23/04/2007Rail land sale sparks fear for future of city network. [Edinburgh Evening News 21/04/2007]