Wishaw railway station

Wishaw
General information
LocationWishaw, North Lanarkshire,
Scotland
Coordinates55°46′20″N 3°55′34″W / 55.7721°N 3.9261°W / 55.7721; -3.9261
Grid referenceNS792548
Managed byScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeWSH
History
Original companyCaledonian Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 June 1880Opened as Wishaw Central[1]
14 June 1965Renamed Wishaw[1]
Passengers
2020/21 74,036
2021/22 0.224 million
2022/23 0.306 million
2023/24 0.384 million
2024/25 0.405 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Wishaw railway station serves the town of Wishaw, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Wishaw Deviation Line, just south of the single tracked link line which connects to the West Coast Main Line (WCML) at Shieldmuir.

History

The station opened on 1 June 1880, along with the Whishaw Deviation (Caledonian Railway) from Law Junction to Holytown. There were two long platforms, with a bay at the north end of the northbound platform. A goods yard lay to the east, with a signal box on the southbound platform.[2]

It was first known as Wishaw Central until the closure of Wishaw South, sited nearby on the WCML, in 1958.[2]

Former service patterns

Up until the electrification of the WCML through to Glasgow Central in 1974, Wishaw was served by an hourly diesel service from Lanark to Glasgow Central High Level, alternating between services via Holytown/Hamilton and Bellshill.

Between 1974 and 1979, an hourly electric service was provided between Glasgow Central High Level, running non-stop to Motherwell.

From 1979 until 2001, an hourly electric service was provided Monday to Saturday between Lanark and Milngavie running via Motherwell and Bellshill. The service was initially non-stop to Motherwell; however, in 1987, a new intermediate station was opened at Shieldmuir. An hourly Sunday service was introduced in 1997.[3]

From 2001 to 2014, the following general off-peak service pattern was in place, in trains per hour (tph),[4] by a mixture of Class 318 and Class 320 units:

Facilities

The main station building lies on the northbound platform.[2] There is a 25-space car park and ticket office staffed from Monday to Saturday.[5]

Services

ScotRail operates the following general off-peak service pattern, in trains per hour (tph):[6]

A recast of the Argyle Line timetable, in the wake of the Whifflet Line electrification, saw some significant changes to the service pattern. All services to Motherwell and Glasgow Central now run via Shieldmuir and Bellshill, rather than alternating via this route and Hamilton Central; they also now terminate at Central High Level rather than running through to Partick and beyond.

The line is used heavily by freight services, with several Freightliner container trains per day from the nearby Coatbridge terminal to destinations in the south of England such as the Port of Felixstowe and Southampton; it is also used by services to the Mossend freight terminal.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Carluke   ScotRail
Argyle Line
  Holytown
  ScotRail
Argyle Line
  Shieldmuir
Carluke   ScotRail
North Berwick Line
  Motherwell
  Historical railways  
Overtown
Line open; Station closed
  Caledonian Railway
Wishaw Deviation Line
  Flemington
Line and Station open

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Butt (1995), page 252
  2. ^ a b c "Wishaw Central". RailScot. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  3. ^ GB National Rail Timetable 1997, Table 226
  4. ^ GB National Rail Timetable 2013-14, Table 226
  5. ^ "Wishaw (WSH)". National Rail. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Train timetables". ScotRail. 14 December 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2026.

Sources