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IBM | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Greenock, Inverclyde Scotland |
Coordinates | 55°55′46″N4°49′38″W / 55.9295°N 4.8271°W |
Grid reference | NS234743 |
Platforms | 1 |
Other information | |
Status | Services suspended |
Station code | IBM |
History | |
Original company | Scottish Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
9 May 1978 | Opened as I B M Halt - unadvertised |
16 May 1983 | Renamed I B M - unadvertised |
12 May 1986 | I B M became publicly advertised |
8 December 2018 | Last usage prior to services being suspended |
Passengers | |
2014/15 | 47,376 |
2015/16 | 22,016 |
2016/17 | 6,032 |
2017/18 | 768 |
2018/19 | 506 |
^ | Services Suspended |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
IBM railway station (formerly known as IBM Halt) is a currently disused railway station on the Inverclyde Line,25+1⁄2 miles (41 km) west of Glasgow Central.
Clinging to the south slope of Spango Valley on the Glasgow-Wemyss Bay line, IBM Halt was opened on 9 May 1978 [1] by British Rail to serve what was at that time a thriving IBM computer manufacturing plant, employing over 4,000 people. Originally, the stop was unadvertised and only peak-time services stopped there, but subsequently the station was publicly advertised, and all but one service stopped there. [2] At the time the service was suspended it was served by an hourly service in each direction. [3]
As the name suggests, the station was located within the confines of a large facility formerly owned entirely by IBM, a major employer for the town of Greenock until the plant closed. Parts of the site were sold off to companies such as Sanmina-SCI and Lenovo, which have now closed as well. By June 2009, half of the buildings had been demolished, and the site was re-branded as Valley Park. Despite that, the station name did not change. Due to its location away from major housing areas and other transport links, the station was used primarily by people employed in Valley Park, but access to the station by the general public was possible.
Until 16 May 1983, it was the only station to have the suffix "halt" [4] (two others have it now, Coombe Junction and St Keyne Wishing Well on the Looe Valley Line in Cornwall). By 1974, the term "halt" had been removed from British Rail timetables, station signs, and other official documents. The return of the term came in 1978 for the opening of IBM Halt, and in the renaming of the two Cornish stations in 2008.
The station had its service suspended with effect from 9 December 2018, with ScotRail citing low patronage and anti-social behaviour on the nearby derelict IBM site. Services may be re-introduced once the site is rebuilt, although there is no fixed timeline for that to happen. [5] [6] [7] A planning application for a mixed-use development on the IBM site, which would involve the reopening of the station, was submitted in February 2020. [8]
At the time when services were suspended, the station was served by an hourly service on the Inverclyde Line between Glasgow Central and Wemyss Bay. [9] Despite that, the annual patronage declined dramatically, from well over 100,000, to about 500 when the services were suspended. [7]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inverkip | ScotRail Inverclyde Line (Service suspended) | Branchton |
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services. The line has been in operation since the 1840s between Glasgow and Greenock and was the first passenger service to follow the River Clyde to the coast. The line was electrified in 1967.
Bogston railway station is on the Inverclyde Line, at Bogston in the East end of Greenock in Inverclyde council area, Scotland. The station is 213⁄4 miles (35 km) west of Glasgow Central.
Port Glasgow railway station is on the Inverclyde Line, serving the town of Port Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in the town centre with the main entrance at the junction of Princes Street and John Wood Street.
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Paisley St James railway station is on the Inverclyde Line, serving one of the residential districts of the town, just west of the town centre. For passengers travelling to the commercial district, Paisley Gilmour Street is the main railway station of Paisley and is located in the heart of Paisley town centre. There is an ongoing campaign to rename the station "Paisley St Mirren" due to the station's proximity to St Mirren's new stadium.
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is the largest of the four stations serving the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and acts as the town's principal railway station. The station is managed by ScotRail and serves the Ayrshire Coast Line and Inverclyde Line, 7+1⁄4 miles (11.7 km) west of Glasgow Central. The station is protected as a category B listed building.
Drumfrochar railway station is a railway station located in a residential district in the south-western part of Greenock, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Inverclyde Line, 23 miles (37 km) west of Glasgow Central.
Branchton railway station is a railway station in Scotland opened in 1967 under British Rail located in the south-west of the town of Greenock, beside the area called Branchton. The station is on the Inverclyde Line, 24+3⁄4 mi (40 km) west of Glasgow Central. The station is managed by ScotRail.
Inverkip railway station serves the village of Inverkip, Inverclyde, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Inverclyde Line, located 28¾ miles (46 km) west of Glasgow Central.
Wemyss Bay railway station serves the village of Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, Scotland. The station is a terminus on the Inverclyde Line, about 26 miles (42 km) west of Glasgow Central. The station incorporates the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal connecting mainland Scotland to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The station is managed by ScotRail.
Hillington West railway station is located in the Hillington district of Glasgow, Scotland, also serving the western portion of the large Hillington industrial estate to the north, and the Penilee neighbourhood to the south. The station, is managed by ScotRail and is on the Inverclyde Line.
Hillington East railway station is located in the Hillington district of Glasgow, Scotland, also serving the eastern portion of the large Hillington industrial estate to the north. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Inverclyde Line.
Cardonald railway station is located in the Cardonald district of Glasgow, Scotland, also serving parts of the Drumoyne neighbourhood located on the opposite side of the M8 motorway which runs adjacent to the railway. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Inverclyde Line.
Carluke railway station is a railway station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) that serves the town of Carluke, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is predominantly served by Argyle Line commuter trains running between Lanark and Glasgow Central. The station lies at the western edge of the town, and enjoys panoramic views of the Clyde Valley and beyond to the hills of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Ayr railway station serves the town of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is situated in Smith Street, off Burns Statue Square. The station, which is managed by ScotRail, is on the Ayrshire Coast Line, 41+1⁄2 miles (66.8 km) south-west of Glasgow Central.
Maybole railway station is a railway station serving the town of Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail and is on the Glasgow South Western Line.
The Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway was a railway owned by the Caledonian Railway, providing services between Greenock and Wemyss Bay.
The British Rail Class 380 Desiro is a type of electric multiple unit passenger train that operates on the National Rail network in Scotland, for ScotRail.
Spango Valley is a steep sided valley to the south-west of Greenock, Scotland. It runs approximately south west to north east for around 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the confluence of the Spango Burn and Kip Water near Dunrod Farm, to Ravenscraig at the present day Aileymill Gardens. A small stream known as the Spango Burn, runs along the valley floor. The originally meandering burn has been channelised and straightened for much of its length as it runs south west through the valley.
Some railway stations in the United Kingdom have no services on offer from them, which renders the station effectively closed. These stations do not appear in the rail usage figures of the Office of Rail & Road as the stations receive no passengers. In order for the station to officially close, the Department for Transport is required to launch a consultation process before formally closing, under the provisions of the Railways Act 2005.