The West Coast Line at Beattock - no station for 48 miles

Beattock was one of the most iconic stations in the history of British railways. Steam locomotives were on standby, 24 hours a day, to help push heavy trains up the ten miles to Beattock Summit.

But the station was closed in 1972, when the line was electrified and modernised. So, although thousands of passenger trains still go through Beattock every year, not one stops. However, much of the old platforms are still there and. as you see from the video, trains can stop, as there are separate lines on which they might shelter, if necessary, in order to allow express trains go past.

This current situation means that there is no station on nearly 48 miles of railway line between Lockerbie and Carstairs – it's the longest such stretch in Britain. And that means that residents of the rural communities in Beattock, Moffat and the surrounding areas have to travel up to 20 miles, by road, in a Southerly direction, to reach the nearest station, in Lockerbie. Meanwhile, demand for rail travel continues to grow.

A station at Beattock would serve about 5,000 local people and transform their work opportunities, with a daily commute to Edinburgh, Glasgow or Carlisle taking only 45 minutes. It might also be an ideal site for light engineering or distribution companies.

Moffat and Beattock are the focal point for travel, tourism and other businesses in central southern Scotland. The M74 motorway from Carlisle to Glasgow is a few hundred metres from the line and the Southern Upland Way, Scotland’s famous 212-mile coast-to-coast walk, actually passes through Beattock, and is also on the National Cycle Network.

Beattock Station Action Group, a group of dedicated residents and community representatives, has campaigned for the reopening of the station since it was formed in 2012. See http://www.beattockstationactiongroup.org.uk/

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