![]() The station's entrance in 2021 | |||||
General information | |||||
Location | Perth, Perth and Kinross Scotland | ||||
Coordinates | 56°23′30″N3°26′18″W / 56.3916°N 3.4384°W | ||||
Grid reference | NO112231 | ||||
Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
Platforms | 7 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PTH [2] | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Scottish Central Railway and Scottish Midland Junction Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Caledonian Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | LMS | ||||
Key dates | |||||
22 May 1848 | Opened as Perth General [3] | ||||
1952 | Renamed as Perth [3] | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2018/19 | ![]() | ||||
Interchange | ![]() | ||||
2019/20 | ![]() | ||||
Interchange | ![]() | ||||
2020/21 | ![]() | ||||
Interchange | ![]() | ||||
2021/22 | ![]() | ||||
Interchange | ![]() | ||||
2022/23 | ![]() | ||||
Interchange | ![]() | ||||
Listed Building –Category B | |||||
Designated | 26 August 1977 | ||||
Reference no. | LB39340 [4] | ||||
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Perth railway station is a railway station located in the city of Perth, Scotland, on both the Glasgow to Dundee line and the Highland Main Line. It is managed by ScotRail, who provide almost all of the services (along with LNER and the Caledonian Sleeper).
It is sited 151 miles 25 chains (243.5 km) from Carlisle, measured via Stirling, Cumbernauld and Motherwell, and approximately 47 miles 68 chains (77 km) from Ladybank (thus approximately 86 miles 77 chains (140 km) from Edinburgh Waverley via Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing). [5]
The station was opened (as Perth General Station) by the Scottish Central Railway (SCR) in 1848 to a design by William Tite. [6] Originally the terminus of the SCR main line from Greenhill Junction near Glasgow, it soon became a junction of some importance with the arrival of the Dundee and Perth Railway from Dundee (following the completion of Tay Viaduct, a bridge across the River Tay), the Edinburgh and Northern Railway (E&NR) from Ladybank on the Fife coast and the Scottish Midland Junction Railway (SMJR) from Forfar within months. [7] Subsequent construction by the Perth and Dunkeld Railway (P&DR) and the Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway added further lines into/out of the city, with the former becoming part of what is now the Highland Main Line to Inverness. The SMJR meanwhile would become part of a through route to Aberdeen by 1856, thus giving Perth travellers easy access to all of the major Scottish cities.
All of these lines, apart from the E&NR, were eventually taken over by the Caledonian Railway, though the Highland Railway (which took over the P&DR) and North British Railway (NBR; which absorbed the E&NR) also had access by means of running powers from Stanley Junction and Hilton Junction respectively.
The NBR would subsequently open a more direct route to the Scottish capital than the Caledonian's route via Stirling and the central lowlands in 1890 - this left the existing Ladybank line at Bridge of Earn and headed south via Glenfarg to Mawcarse, where it joined the Fife and Kinross Railway's line to Kinross. Trains could then travel via Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline and the newly opened Forth Rail Bridge to reach Edinburgh.
The Almond Valley line to Crieff and Methven was an early post-nationalisation casualty, closing to passengers in October 1951. The Ladybank service followed suit in September 1955. The major losses though came as the result of the Beeching Axe and its aftermath in the mid-to-late 1960s, with the main line to Aberdeen (that is, the ex-SMJR main line to Kinnaber Junction via Coupar Angus and Forfar) being closed to passenger traffic on 4 September 1967. Aberdeen services were thereafter routed via Dundee and the former NBR route via Montrose. The Aviemore to Forres section of the Highland Main Line had already been closed two years earlier, and several local stations in the area were also shut down around this time.
A further significant (and controversial) closure came on 5 January 1970, when the main line to Edinburgh via Glenfarg, Kinross and Cowdenbeath was abandoned in favour of the older but less direct line via Stirling. The Glenfarg route had been recommended for retention and development in the Beeching Report, but its removal allowed the planned M90 motorway to occupy its former alignment in the Glenfarg area when the motorway was built a few years later. However, the longer journey via Stirling proved unpopular with Edinburgh travellers and so in 1975, the old E&NR line to Ladybank was reopened by British Rail to provide a slightly quicker alternative. This is the route followed by most Edinburgh services today, but the daytime and overnight trains to London (see below) still run via Stirling and Falkirk as the line via Ladybank and Kirckaldy is served by the Aberdeen to London services.
Perth bus station is situated approximately 100 metres northeast along Leonard Street, part of the A989, from the railway station. [8]
The station has seven active platforms, but they are split into two distinct sections: [9]
There was once an extensive goods yard at Perth, along with an engine shed and carriage sidings but only a small engineers depot remains in the greatly downsized yard.
Passenger services are operated by ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, and London North Eastern Railway.
There are two main routes passing through the station - the Glasgow to Dundee & Aberdeen Line, and the Highland Main Line, whilst there is now also a regular service to/from Edinburgh via the Fife Coast. Services on weekdays are as follows: [12]
On Sundays, services are reduced to:
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Gleneagles | London North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line | Pitlochry or Dunkeld & Birnam | ||
Ladybank or Markinch or Gleneagles or Dunblane or Terminus | ScotRail Highland Line | Dunkeld & Birnam or Pitlochry | ||
Gleneagles or Dunblane or Stirling | ScotRail GlasgowーDundee Line | Invergowrie or Dundee | ||
Gleneagles | Caledonian Sleeper Highland Caledonian Sleeper | Dunkeld & Birnam | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Terminus | Highland Railway Perth and Dunkeld Railway | Muirton Line open; Station closed | ||
Scottish Midland Junction Railway Caledonian Railway | ||||
Terminus | Dundee and Perth Railway Caledonian Railway | Princes Street Line open; Station closed | ||
Forgandenny Line open; Station closed | Scottish Central Railway Caledonian Railway | Terminus | ||
Bridge of Earn Line open; Station closed | Edinburgh and Northern Railway North British Railway | Terminus | ||
Disused railways | ||||
Terminus | Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway Caledonian Railway | Ruthven Road Line partially open; Station closed |
The movie The Railway Man was filmed at Perth station. Platform 3 was used to pose as Crewe, and Platform 5 used to pose as Edinburgh, both set during the 1960s.
Perth station was nominated for the Carbuncle Award in 2015, which recognises the worst planning decision. The award was because a new footbridge had to be built at the southern end of the station which has stair and lift access to all platforms to comply with disability laws. Local newspaper The Courier reported on the news and interviewed Paul Tetlaw from the campaign Transform Scotland. He said:
"It's an off-the-shelf structure that has desecrated the station environment, imposed from London by 'standards bound' Network Rail designers and has no fit with the largely Victorian surroundings. To add insult to injury, it's virtually unused, as the alternatives within the station building are vastly more convenient for the overwhelming majority of passengers. This tacky and inappropriate new structure is thought to have cost in excess of £1m — money which would have been better spent on opening a new station in nearby Newburgh, which has none, with cash left over for a feasibility study of recreating a direct Perth-Edinburgh link, as advocated by our inter-city express campaign."[ citation needed ]
In March 2016, Transport Scotland announced a package of timetable improvements for the Scottish rail network that would see additional trains operated from Perth to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee & Inverness from 2018. There would be a two-hourly service between both Edinburgh & Glasgow and Inverness over the Highland Main Line (combining to give an hourly frequency north of Perth) and additional regional services from Arbroath & Dundee to Glasgow serving Gleneagles, Dunblane & Stirling on top of the current Aberdeen to Glasgow route (which will be accelerated by cutting some of the existing intermediate stops). [13] As of May 2022, these improvements have still not taken place. [14]
The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is 118 mi (190 km) long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line. At Inverness the line connects with the Far North Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. Since the line is not electrified all trains are diesel-powered.
Inverness railway station serves the Scottish city of Inverness. It is the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen–Inverness line, the Kyle of Lochalsh line and the Far North Line.
Dundee railway station serves the city of Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. It is situated on the northern, non-electrified section of the East Coast Main Line, 59+1⁄4 miles (95.4 km) northeast of Edinburgh. Dundee is the tenth busiest station in Scotland. In January 2014, the former main station building was demolished to make way for a new building as part of the Dundee Waterfront Project which opened on 9 July 2018.
Lenzie railway station is a railway station serving Lenzie and Kirkintilloch in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is located on the Croy Line, 6+1⁄4 miles (10.1 km) northeast of Glasgow Queen Street. Trains on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line pass Lenzie by. The station is served by ScotRail.
Polmont railway station is a railway station serving the village of Polmont, Scotland as well as the other Falkirk Braes villages. It is located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line and is also served by ScotRail services from Edinburgh to Stirling and Dunblane. It is the nearest station to much of the town of Grangemouth.
Stirling railway station is a railway station located in Stirling, Scotland. It is located on the former Caledonian Railway main line between Glasgow and Perth. It is the junction for the branch line to Alloa and is also served by trains on the Edinburgh to Dunblane Line and long-distance services to Dundee and Aberdeen and to Inverness via the Highland Main Line.
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. It is the northernmost station on the National Rail network to be electrified.
Gleneagles railway station serves the town of Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
Inverkeithing railway station serves the town of Inverkeithing in Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line, 10 miles (16 km) north west of Edinburgh Waverley. The station is popular with commuters travelling to Edinburgh from Fife and beyond, thanks to its location beside the M90 motorway.
Ladybank railway station serves the town of Ladybank in Fife, Scotland.
Dunkeld & Birnam railway station serves the town of Dunkeld and village of Birnam in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is located on the Highland Main Line, 15 miles 31 chains (24.8 km) north of Perth and is the first stop on the line north of there, before Pitlochry. Most services are operated by ScotRail, who also manage the station. LNER and Caledonian Sleeper also call some services here.
Pitlochry railway station is a railway station serving the town of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is managed by ScotRail and is located on the Highland main line, 28 miles 21 chains (45.5 km) from Perth, between Dunkeld & Birnham and Blair Atholl.
Newtonmore railway station serves the village of Newtonmore, Highland, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line. The station is 68 miles 62 chains (110.7 km) from Perth, between Dalwhinnie and Kingussie, and has a single platform which is long enough for a ten-coach train. It is currently the only station on the Highland Main Line to have one platform, although the former second platform can still be seen adjacent to the first platform.
Blair Atholl railway station is a railway station serving the town of Blair Atholl, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line, 35 miles 9 chains (56.5 km) from Perth, between Pitlochry and Dalwhinnie. There is a crossover at the north end of the station to allow trains to turn back if the line south to Pitlochry is closed.
The Scottish Central Railway was formed in 1845 to link Perth and Stirling to Central Scotland, by building a railway line to join the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Castlecary.
There have been several railway stations serving the town of Newburgh, Fife. The original was opened on 17 May 1848 by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway, on their line from Ladybank to Hilton Junction, near Perth. This station lasted until August 1906, when a larger replacement station was opened.
The Scottish Midland Junction Railway was authorised in 1845 to build a line from Perth to Forfar. Other companies obtained authorisation in the same year, and together they formed a route from central Scotland to Aberdeen. The SMJR opened its main line on 4 August 1848. Proposals to merge with other railways were rejected by Parliament at first, but in 1856 the SMJR merged with the Aberdeen Railway to form the Scottish North Eastern Railway. The SNER was itself absorbed into the larger Caledonian Railway in 1866. The original SMJR main line was now a small section of a main line from Carlisle and central Scotland to Aberdeen.
The Scottish North Eastern Railway was a railway company in Scotland operating a main line from Perth to Aberdeen, with branches to Kirriemuir, Brechin and Montrose. It was created when the Aberdeen Railway amalgamated with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway on 29 July 1856. It did not remain independent for long, for it was itself absorbed by the Caledonian Railway on 10 August 1866.
The Railways of Kinross were a local network of three rural railways which made the town of Kinross in Scotland their objective in the 1850s.
Public transport in Perth and Kinross is available for two main modes of transport—bus and rail—assisting residents of and visitors to the Perth and Kinross council area to travel around much of its 2,041 square miles (5,290 km2).