Bowling railway station

This article is about the current station in Bowling, Scotland. For other stations in the same town, and others with the same name elsewhere, see Bowling railway station (disambiguation).

Bowling Scottish Gaelic: Bolan[1]
General information
Location	Bowling, West Dunbartonshire Scotland
Coordinates	55.9311°N 4.4929°W / 55.9311; -4.4929
Grid reference	NS442736
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BWG
History
Original company	Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	CR and NBR
Post-grouping	LMS and LNER
Key dates
15 July 1850[2]	Opened
31 May 1858[3][2]	Resited
Passengers
2019/20	50,366
2020/21	5,320
2021/22	18,274
2022/23	25,434
2023/24	24,670
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Bowling railway station serves the village of Bowling in the West Dunbartonshire region of Scotland. This station is on the North Clyde Line, between Kilpatrick and Dumbarton East, 12 miles 70 chains (20.7 km) from Glasgow Queen Street measured via Maryhill. The station is managed by ScotRail who provide all train services.

History

The station was opened on 15 July 1850 by the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway, and resited a few years later in 1858.^[3][2]

Accidents and incidents

On 8 September 1933, a passenger train collided with wagons on the line due to a signalman's error. Five people were injured.^[4]

In October 2023, severe flooding took place around the River Clyde following a severe weather warning from the Met Office. The Glasgow Times described the station as being "underwater"^[5] while The Herald called the station "inundated with muddy water ...[the] flood rising almost to the platform’s edge".^[6][7]

Facilities

The station seen in 2012

The station is unstaffed, and only comprises basic shelters, benches, help points, a payphone and a few cycle stands. As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.^[8]

Passenger volume

The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Bowling station in the 2022/23 period was Glasgow Queen Street, making up 5,892 of the 25,434 journeys (23.17%).^[9]

Passenger Volume at Bowling^[9]

	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	151,079	113,682	129,518	113,598	121,129	96,012	43,916	31,784	32,502	33,948	55,820	55,014	58,878	34,438	43,894	61,326	50,366	5,320	18,274	25,434

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

On weekdays and Saturdays, there is a half-hourly service to Balloch northbound and Airdrie southbound. On Sundays, trains run twice per hour to Balloch as normal, but run southbound to Motherwell (with one going via Whifflet, the other via Hamilton Central).^[10]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Kilpatrick		ScotRail North Clyde Line		Dumbarton East
	Historical railways
Kilpatrick Line and station open		North British Railway Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway		Line continues as C&DJR
Line continues as GD&HR		Caledonian & North British Railway Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway		Dumbarton Central Line closed; Station open

Cultural references

The station was made famous by a 1960 painting by the renowned railway artist, the late Terence Cuneo, who depicted a then new Blue train (Class 303) heading westbound into Bowling, passing a steam engine, which the 303 had replaced, in a siding. The painting was used as a poster 'Glasgow Electric'.^[11]

References

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. Quick 2022, p. 95.
3. Butt 1995, p. 41.
4. Hoole, Ken (1983). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4. Truro: Atlantic Books. p. 19. ISBN 0-906899-07-9.
5. Grant, Jackie (7 October 2023). "Scots stations flooded as track turned into river and water tumbles down stairs". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
6. "Images of flooded stations reveal scale of rain disruption to Scotland's rail lines". The Herald. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
7. "Trains and roads in Scotland affected by flooding amid warnings". BBC News. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
8. "Bowling station map". National Rail. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
9. "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
10. eNRT December 2023, Table 206 https://timetables.fabdigital.uk/nrt/dec2023/206%20Glasgow%20to%20Partick,%20Milngavie,%20Yoker,%20Dalmuir,%20Dumbarton,%20Balloch%20and%20Helensburgh.pdf
11. Science Museum http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co228546/glasgow-electric-poster

Bibliography

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
• Quick, Michael (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.

External links

• Train times and station information for Bowling railway station from National Rail