History

The station opened on 1 August 1887 as part of the Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway. Construction of the station structure was not completed until 1895, with modular-design wooden buildings — commonly seen on the new suburban railway lines — being built on both platforms. The station is located on part of the former site of brick and tile works, Jordanhill being an area of artisans and miners until the close of the 19th century. The railway station arrived as much of the local industry declined, giving residents (who previously had to walk to Hillhead or Partick to find transport into Glasgow proper) access to the city centre.

The station's opening effectively filled a gap in provision, as lines in the area had already been constructed; the Whiteinch and Stobcross Railways both opened in 1874, but no station was constructed on these lines at Jordanhill. A new link allowed services to Whiteinch Victoria Park to begin in 1897, but they ceased in 1951 and the link was closed to freight in 1967. The route of the link has been converted into a nature walk from Victoria Park to Jordanhill station, running alongside the existing line for approximately half its length.

On 15 January 1898, a man named J. Johnstone was killed while attempting to run across the line west of the station. The freight line saw near-disaster on 28 December 1932 when seventeen wagons laden with coal ran away on a slight incline on the sidings operated by the Great Western Steam Laundry; they ran into other wagons, derailing nine and spilling coal over the line.

A serious accident occurred on 28 April 1980 when a three-coach train carrying 80 passengers from Dalmuir to Motherwell derailed at the Hyndland junction just after leaving Jordanhill. All the bogies on the leading coach left the rails, causing fifteen people (nine women and six men) to be injured seriously enough for them to be taken to a hospital.

In 1998, Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) undertook a study into the possible relocation of the station west to Westbrae Drive. A December 2002 report from the Scottish Executive included this station as part of their High Resource Scenario, estimating the project cost at approximately £ 2 million ($US 3.5 million). By 2004, SPT had identified this station as one of their top three priorities, and Glasgow City Council had identified it as a "main priority".

An alternative proposal would keep the existing station open, but with many services calling only at a new Westbrae Drive station. This proposal was backed in August 2001 by Charlie Gordon, the then leader of Glasgow City Council, who said that having a second station in Jordanhill would assist students at the nearby Jordanhill campus of University of Strathclyde. The proposed new station would have been only roughly 500 yards (460 m) away.

If Glasgow has a successful bid for the Commonwealth Games, Jordanhill Station would be among those rebuilt, through a £ 300 million transport legacy plan.

Services

As part of the Argyle Line, the station is used — along with Glasgow Central and Anderston — by those commuting to and from Central Glasgow, near the heart of its business and financial district. The typical hourly service from the station is four trains per hour to Dalmuir via Clydebank, two trains to Motherwell via Glasgow Central and two trains to Springburn via Glasgow Queen Street. In SRA's 2002/3 financial year, 85,861 people boarded trains at Jordanhill station, and 94,613 alighted.

The station no longer has a staffed ticket counter, but it contains a ticket machine, one of ten built by SPT around the end of 2003 as part of a drive to curb fare dodging, which was estimated to be costing the company £2 million a year. There is a ramp up to both platforms and a connecting footbridge between them.

Gallery

• Bridge over Crow Road, showing the old Strathclyde Transport logo
• Platform one, looking east towards Hyndland
• The ramp up to Platform 1
• The automated ticket machine

Notes and references

1. Map of SPT Rail network.
2. A chronology of Glasgow's railways
3. Johnston, C. Glasgow Stations. London: Newton Abbot. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. Template:News reference
5. Donnelly, Max (1987) "Jordanhill - A Historical Sketch" (2nd ed) (Glasgow: Self-published (printed at Strathclyde University))
6. Railscot: Stobcross Railway
7. 1951 Chronology of RAILSCOT
8. 1967 Chronology of RAILSCOT
9. Railways in Jordanhill (contains Ordnance Survey map of station)
10. The Times, 29 December 1932
11. The Times, 29 April 1980
12. SPT Publications: New stations
13. SCOTTISH STRATEGIC RAIL STUDY: Working Paper 6 - High Resource Scenario
14. Faculty of Education Estate Strategy, Staff Meeting at Jordanhill Campus Monday, 11 October 2004
15. The Herald, 20 August 2001
16. Template:News referenceFree preview, subscription required.
17. First Scotrail Timetable - Glasgow-Milngavie, Dalmuir, Balloch, Helensburgh Central; Glasgow-Maryhill, Anniesland; Glasgow-Helensburgh Upper, Garelochhead (including ferry connections to Helensburgh, Kilcreggan and Gourock) (Accessed 02 March 2006) (PDF)
18. The usage information (Station Entries and Station Exits) is based on ticket sales in the financial year 2002/03 and covers all National Rail stations. It does not include those stations that are owned by TfL. The calculation of station usage levels uses sales recorded in the railway ticketing system prior to their allocation to individual operators. It does not take into account any changes of train during the course of a journey. The ticketing system does not record certain journeys made using TfL bought travelcards, TfL Freedom Passes, staff travel passes and certain other PTE specific products. Continued usage notes, and Excel format table for all stations available.
19. The Scotsman, 2 December, 2003

External links

• Train times and station information for Jordanhill railway station from National Rail
• TimetableTemplate:PDFlink
• Station facilities from First Group
• RailScot: Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway
• Map of rail area from Sustrans (UK)
• Template:Placeopedia