The history of Edinburgh Waverley station

Edinburgh Waverly station

Edinburgh Waverly sits in a prominent position between the Old and New Town and was the flagship station for the North British Railway when it first opened. Since then, it has gone through redesign and redevelopment to make it a station fit for the Scottish capital and Britain’s second largest station.

The First Station

Originally there were three stations built in the 1840s to serve the city. North Bridge station, the terminus of the North British Railway from Berwick-upon-Tweed opened in 1846, General Station, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway’s station opened in 1847 the same day as the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway’s Canal Street Station.

The Second Station 

It quickly became clear that the North British station and its track layout were inadequate. The Caledonian Railway opened the Mid-Calder line in the same year, increasing traffic between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Additionally, the North Eastern Railway started running trains from York to Edinburgh, but they were frustrated by the congestion at Waverley.

Plans to improve the station were proposed in the early to mid-1860s, but the North British Railway couldn’t afford the cost. In 1869, chief engineer James Bell provided a plan to extend the station west from Waverley Bridge through the North Bridge to handle more traffic.

The extensions were done while the station remained open. This included a new entrance from Waverley Bridge, a new roof, a two-storey booking office, a new goods shed, first and second-class waiting rooms, and refreshment facilities. The new roof was designed to be low to avoid disturbing the city’s historic skyline. Due to the working conditions, Bell’s plans were not fully realized until the mid-1870s.

The Third Station

Dissatisfaction with the North British Railway and Waverley station peaked in 1890. Increased traffic from the Edinburgh Suburban Railway (1884), the second Tay Bridge (1887), and the Forth Bridge (1890) forced the company to expand the station. Despite the engineering success of the Forth Bridge, Waverley and its lines couldn’t handle the extra traffic.

In 1891, the North British Railway got permission to rebuild the station, and work began in 1892, led by Blyth & Westland. The reconstruction covered 23 acres and faced local opposition as it took two acres from the East and West Princes Street Gardens. The old North Bridge was rebuilt, changing the track layout to avoid squeezing through two of the twelve arches. Instead, it was opened up into a new three-arch iron bridge. Waverley Bridge, opened in 1873, was also reconstructed. Extra tunnels at Haymarket, the Mound, and Carlton Hill were built, coming into use in 1895 and officially opening in 1896.

The 1890s works made Waverley the largest station in Britain until Waterloo Station reopened in 1921.

First World War

When World War I broke out in 1914, the first “buffet for troops” was set up at Waverley. By 1919, over 2 million meals had been served to service personnel at the station. A Red Cross ward was also established to help the sick or wounded. Despite air raids by zeppelins in Edinburgh, Waverley was never hit. In 1922, a war memorial was unveiled to honor the 775 North British railway men who lost their lives.

Interwar Years

In 1921, the Railways Act merged independent railway companies to create the “Big Four.” The North British Railway joined the London and North Eastern Railway. Few improvements were made to Waverley during the interwar years. New color light signaling was installed in the 1930s, and Waverley West signal box was built in 1936, followed by Waverley East in 1938.

Second World War

When World War II started in September 1939, Waverley was the main station for evacuating children to rural areas. In three days, over 178,000 children were evacuated on trains from the station. Like in World War I, a free canteen was set up for servicemen. An emergency headquarters for LNER was established in Scotland Street Tunnel to ensure service continued if Waverley was damaged.

Unlike most stations during the war, Edinburgh kept its glass because there was too much to remove, and it was dirty enough to block any stray light. When the war ended in 1945, the railways were rundown. To lift spirits, Waverley became the first Scottish station to install a Christmas tree at Christmas.

Nationalisation and Modernisation

The station became part of the Scotland Region for British Railways when the railways were nationalized in 1948. Due to the Beeching Cuts, freight services at Waverley stopped, and the goods yard was turned into a car park. Princes Street, Edinburgh’s other railway terminus, closed in 1965, and the Waverley Route closed in 1969.

The 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh led to a modernization of Waverley. Many original features, like oak paneling, decorative friezes, the octagonal booking office, and the mosaic floor, were replaced. This was seen as unsympathetic at the time.

In the late 1970s, a new signal box was built on the southern side of the goods yard, making the old signal boxes redundant. In the 1980s, more improvements were made, including a catering service building, crew operations office, British Transport Police office, several retail outlets, and a new modern signaling center.

Privatisation

In 1991, Edinburgh Waverley was granted ‘A’ listing status by Historic Scotland, meaning any work required listed building consent to protect its heritage. In 1994, the railway was privatized, separating track and train. Railtrack PLC took over the infrastructure, including Waverley station, and began a regeneration program. By 2004, Railtrack was taken over by Network Rail, which started refurbishing the station.

These refurbishments included a new control center attached to the 1970s signal box, re-aligning tracks on the western approach, lengthening platforms, and replacing canopies. Between 2006 and 2007, platforms 12 to 18 were electrified for the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail link opening in 2010. Between 2010 and 2012, the roof glazing was replaced and strengthened as part of a £130 million upgrade.

As part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), platform 12 was extended. Platforms 5 and 6 were extended into the former taxi rank in 2017, allowing more services for London North Eastern Railway, and were brought into use in 2019.

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