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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aberdeen Station in 2022 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Aberdeen Scotland | ||||
| Coordinates | 57°08′37″N2°05′55″W / 57.1436°N 2.0985°W /57.1436; -2.0985 | ||||
| Grid reference | NJ941058 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail/Scotrail | ||||
| Operated by | ScotRail | ||||
| Managed by | ScotRail | ||||
| Platforms | 6 (numbered 2–7) | ||||
| Train operators | ScotRail,CrossCountry,LNER,Caledonian Sleeper | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | ABD[2] | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Denburn Valley Line | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 4 November 1867 | Station opened asAberdeen Joint to replaceAberdeen Guild Street andAberdeen Waterloo[3] | ||||
| 1913–1916 | Rebuilt | ||||
| 1952 | RenamedAberdeen[3] | ||||
| 2007–2008 | Major refurbishment | ||||
| 2020-2022 | Major redevelopment | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  2.497 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.237 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.394 million | ||||
| Interchange | 27,863 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  1.537 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.125 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 1.961 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.179 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 2.288 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.202 million | ||||
Listed Building – Category A | |||||
| Official name | Guild Street Aberdeen Railway Station and Road Overbridge | ||||
| Designated | 2 March 1990 | ||||
| Reference no. | LB20673[4] | ||||
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Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station inAberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities ofEdinburgh andGlasgow. It is located onGuild Street in the city centre, next toUnion Square.
The station is managed byScotRail. Inter-city, regional, local andsleeper train services are provided to all parts of Great Britain byScotRail,Caledonian Sleeper,CrossCountry andLondon North Eastern Railway. The station is the northern terminus of theDundee–Aberdeen line and the southern terminus of theAberdeen–Inverness line, and is measured 241 miles 6 chains (388.0 km) fromCarlisle viaPerth.[5]
The station currently standing was built and opened in 1867, although the station today has been significantly redeveloped from the original.[6] The station and the newDenburn Valley Line enabled the main line from the south and the commuter line fromDeeside to connect with the line from the north. The lines from the south had previously terminated at the adjacentAberdeen Guild Street. Even this had not been Aberdeen's first railway station, that distinction belonging to a previous terminus a short way south atFerryhill.[6]
Prior to the construction of the Joint Station, lines from the north had terminated atAberdeen Waterloo, a short but inconvenient distance along the edge of the harbour. This too became a goods station after the construction of the Joint Station.[7]
As a result of the grouping of railway companies under theRailways Act 1921, Aberdeen was shared by theLondon and North Eastern Railway and theLondon Midland and Scottish Railway, each company running the station for a year and then handing its administration to the other company. At nationalisation in 1948, it then became part ofBritish Rail. As part of the changes during this period which saw a general contraction of railway services in the UK, some services were cut in the 1960s. These included those running north to Peterhead and Ellon as well as the Deeside Line. Suburban services were heavily reduced and the grand suburban ticket office, located on the corner of Guild Street and Bridge Street, was closed. It now houses a hair and beauty salon. The number of platforms at the station were also reduced considerably in the early 1970s, from the thirteen of the late 1950s/early 1960s down to just seven by 1973.[8] This rationalisation process saw the removal of all of the north end bay platforms to allow for redevelopment of that part of the site. However, significant improvements underBritish Rail included introduction ofInterCity 125 high-speed service to London and other major destinations, and introduction of other new rolling stock. Other improvements included a new Travel Centre opened in 1978 and under British Rail's regional brand ScotRail, a major station renovation was completed in the 1980s. The station was also resignalled around this time, with two more bay platforms (1 & 2) taken out of use along with the former through platforms 8 & 9. This left just five platforms (3–7) in regular use – the layout that remains in operation to this day. The two former bay platforms remain in place and are used as sidings. The former double track through platforms 8 and 9 has since been singled, but the platform faces remain.
Atprivatisation in the mid-1990s, ownership of the station passed toRailtrack (along with all stations and other infrastructure in England, Wales and Scotland), while day-to-day management passed to the train-operating franchiseeScotRail, a division of National Express. Following the quasi-nationalisation of railway infrastructure in the early 2000s, the station is now owned byNetwork Rail. In 2004, the train-operating franchise and station management were taken over byFirst ScotRail. ScotRail continue to operate trains but the station and all signage is now branded with the "ScotRail" logo, typeface and rolling-stock livery.
British Rail'sMotorail service ran between London and Aberdeen from 1968[9] until Friday 26 May 1995.[10]
Plans to reintroduce aMotorail service between London and Aberdeen operated byMotorail Ltd were announced December 1998[11] and confirmed in March 1999.[12]
Historic Environment Scotland designate the current building and road overbridge as Category A, noting that it was the last major station to be completed in Scotland in the period 1913–1920.[4]
Plans to relocate the ticket office and passenger waiting room, as well as upgrades to the taxi rank and concourse, were approved byAberdeen City Council in December 2018, with work due to start in spring 2019.[13] Under a separate scheme, the vacant Atholl House building to the north of the station is to be demolished, making way for the construction of a public square, hotel and student accommodation, and improved connections between the city's mainUnion Street and the station.[14] This development could allow the currently disused platforms 8 and 9 to be brought back into service.[15]
As of early 2019, the station's glass roof is undergoing replacement withpolycarbonate panels as part of a £9 million upgrade.[16] In June 2020, ScotRail announced that it would proceed with the modifications to the ticket office, waiting room, and taxi rank as soon as it was safe to do so following the coronavirus pandemic. There are no plans to reinstate the platforms yet.[17] These developments were completed by the end of 2021.[18]
In March 2021, it was confirmed that further work would be undertaken to improve the passenger experience in the station, including significant improvement in retail facilities, improvements to the taxi rank area and better connectivity withUnion Square and the wider Aberdeen City Centre.[19]
The North Corner Pavilion Building, which had fallen into disrepair, was restored as part of the station redevelopment in December 2021. Repairs were sympathetic and in keeping with the original features of the category A-listed building.[20] The restoration was recognized in the 2022National Railway Heritage Awards, where it won The Arch Company Award for Urban Heritage Award.[21]
By December 2022, all improvement works were completed. Both the ticket office and first class lounge were relocated to allow for further retail space. Modern glazed frontage was added to the units. Four new customer information screens were installed as part of renovation works, along with improvements to staff accommodation.Jenny Gilruth, the then Transport Minister opened the redeveloped station on 5 December 2022. The redevelopment was funded by theScottish Government,ScotRail,Network Rail, theRailway Heritage Trust, andSerco[22]
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There is a staffed travel centre providing ticket office and information facilities (e.g. timetables). There are also automatic ticket machines outside this office and in the main concourse. Tickets purchased in advance (e.g. on the internet) can be collected from any of these machines. The entrance to theScotRail first-class lounge is located above the ticket office (travel centre). Luggage trolleys are provided for travellers with baggage and a left-luggage facility is available with access from the front forecourt of the station. There is step-free access to all platforms from the bridge. There are also two sets of toilets near the main entrance, as well as payphones and an excess fares office.[23]
A waiting room is available on the main concourse, as is a branch ofWHSmith selling books, magazines, stationery and confectionery. There is also a pub and cafe. A wide range of other shopping and eating facilities are located in theUnion Square complex which can be accessed directly through the concourse and is integrated with the station building.[24]
The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Aberdeen in the 2022–23 period wasEdinburgh, making up 216,214 of the 1,961,414 journeys (13.3%).[25]
| 2002–03 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 1,761,041 | 1,931,973 | 2,107,855 | 2,278,872 | 2,470,281 | 2,568,810 | 2,657,014 | 2,964,302 | 3,170,464 | 3,338,072 | 3,599,431 | 3,742,646 | 3,459,944 | 3,058,268 | 2,948,150 | 2,616,142 | 2,497,108 | 393,982 | 1,536,720 | 1,961,414 |
| Interchanges | –[nb 1] | 187,983 | 201,417 | 230,788 | 119,259 | 162,526 | 164,299 | 148,594 | 197,040 | 200,864 | 219,085 | 219,002 | 204,139 | 192,344 | 179,958 | 258,416 | 237,220 | 27,863 | 124,666 | 179,272 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
All scheduled services are operated by diesel-powered rolling stock. The services from Aberdeen for the May 2022 timetable are:[26]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonehaven orDundee | CrossCountry Cross Country Route | Terminus | ||
| Portlethen | ScotRail Dundee–Aberdeen line | Terminus | ||
| Terminus | ScotRail Aberdeen to Inverness Line | Dyce | ||
| Portlethen ToMontrose | ScotRail Aberdeen Crossrail | Dyce ToInverurie | ||
| Stonehaven | Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper | Terminus | ||
| Stonehaven | London North Eastern Railway East Coast Main Line | Terminus | ||
 Ferry services | ||||
| Terminus | NorthLink Ferries Shetland ferry service | Lerwick | ||
| Terminus | NorthLink Ferries Orkney ferry service | Kirkwall | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Terminus | Caledonian Railway Aberdeen Railway | Cove Bay Line open; Station closed | ||
| Terminus | Great North of Scotland Railway Deeside Railway | Holburn Street Line partly open; Station closed | ||
| Terminus | GNoSR /CR Joint Denburn Valley Line | Schoolhill Line open; Station closed | ||
Regional and national bus services (including theJet 727 toAberdeen Airport) depart fromAberdeen bus station, which is located on the other side of the adjoiningUnion Square shopping centre.[27]
Aberdeen railway station offers interchange with Aberdeen ferry terminal, which lies approximately 450 metres (490 yards) away, the departure point for ferry services operated byNorthLink Ferries to theOrkney andShetland Islands.[28]
