Waverley Station, from the Scott Monument.
Waverley Bridge is at the bottom right, North Bridge in the middle heading right (southward) to the old town. Arthur's Seat is in the background.

Waverley Station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres (101,000 m²) in the centre of the city, it is the second largest mainline railway station in the United Kingdom—the largest being London's Waterloo station. It is the northern terminus of the East Coast Main Line. A view of the Scottish capital Edinburgh, from the Scott Monument looking southeast. ... A view of the Scottish capital Edinburgh, from the Scott Monument looking southeast. ... Scott Monument (alternate view) The Scott Monument is a victorian gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... Edinburghs location in Scotland Edinburgh viewed from Arthurs Seat. ... The main entrance of Waterloo Station. ... The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ...

The station is located in a steep, narrow valley between the city's mediaeval Old Town and the 19th century New Town. Princes Street, the city's premier shopping street, runs along one side of the station. The valley is bridged by the 1897 North Bridge (a three span iron and steel bridge, which passes high above the station's eastern section) and Waverley Bridge (which, by means of ramps, affords one of the main entrances to the station). This valley was formerly filled by a freshwater loch, the Nor'Loch, but this was drained in the early 19th century. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Princes Street, as viewed facing west from the Scott Monument Princes Street and the Castle at twilight Princes Street is the main shopping street in Edinburgh city centre, although it was originally designed to be a residential street. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... View across Loch Lomond, towards Ben Lomond. ...

Trains leave Waverley in two directions:

• Eastward are the suburban services to Newcraighall and the North Berwick branch line, and the East Coast Main Line. The proposed reopening of the Waverley Route, which will reconnect several towns in the Scottish Borders to the railway network, will also enter Edinburgh from the east.
• Westward the line runs through a cutting near the cliffs of Edinburgh Castle and through Princes Street Gardens. It then passes through a tunnel before emerging at Haymarket Station. From there lines lead north to Fife over the Forth Bridge, west to Glasgow, and north-west to Stirling and Dunblane.

History

With the growth of the city, and the construction of the "scientifically designed" New Town to the north, the Nor'Loch became a fetid open sewer, something at odds with the city's modern Scottish Enlightenment aspirations. Works were undertaken to drain the loch and properly direct the city's sewerage, and by 1820 the loch was largely dry and the land was available for development. Much was used to build Princes Street Gardens, an extensive landscaped park. With the explosion of railway travel in Britain underway, three railway companies each built stations near one another in the valley, opening over the course of the 1840s. The collective name "Waverley", after the Waverley novels by Sir Walter Scott, was used for the three from around 1854. The Scott Monument stands in Princes Street Gardens near to the entrance to Waverley Station. In 1868 the North British Railway Railway company acquired the stations of its rivals, demolished all three, and built the present Victorian station. Waverley has been in continual use since, under the auspices of the North British, later LNER, British Rail, Railtrack and latterly Network Rail. North Berwick North Berwick is a small Scottish seaside town in East Lothian, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, about 25 miles east of Edinburgh. ... The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ... The Waverley Route is an abandoned railway line that ran south from Edinburgh in Scotland, through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle in England. ... Scottish Borders (Crìochan na h-Alba in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ... Edinburgh Castle and NorLoch, around 1780 by Alexander Nasmyth Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold on the Castle Rock in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, has been in use by assorted military forces since prehistoric times and only transferred from the Ministry of Defence recently. ... The station forecourt in the morning rush hour Haymarket railway station is a railway station in Haymarket, Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Forth Bridge, Edinburgh. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... Stirling (Sruighlea in Gaelic) is a city in Central Scotland, in the district of Stirling. ... Dunblane is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, near Stirling. ... The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of intellectual ferment in Scotland, running from approximately 1740 to 1800. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... // Events and Trends Technology First use of anaesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. ... Waverley is a novel by Sir Walter Scott. ... For the first Premier of Saskatchewan see Thomas Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott (August 14, 1771 - September 21, 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Scott Monument (alternate view) The Scott Monument is a victorian gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the grouping in 1923. ... The London and North Eastern Railway or LNER was the second-largest of the Big Four railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... Railtrack was a group of companies which owned the tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and some stations of the British railway system from its privatisation in 1996 until 2002. ... Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend Company limited by guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now-defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ...

Current and future uses of the station

The elaborate ceiling of the ticket hall, extensively restored in 2003

As at other large railway stations of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the railway company constructed a grand station hotel beside their station. The North British Hotel, situated adjacent to the station on Princes Street, opened in 1902. In 1983 British Rail sold it to the Forte hotel group. In 1988 Forte closed the hotel for a year to extensively remodel and update what had become something of a faded jewel. When it reopened it was rechristened The Balmoral Hotel (in what has proved to be an astute marketing move, despite the hotel being 115 miles from Balmoral Castle). It enjoys commanding views over central Edinburgh, and is one of the most luxurious (and expensive) hotels in the UK. Download high resolution version (1024x766, 180 KB)The ornate ceiling of the ticket hall at Waverley Station in Edinburgh, Scotland This photo taken by Finlay McWalter on the 7th of August 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this... Download high resolution version (1024x766, 180 KB)The ornate ceiling of the ticket hall at Waverley Station in Edinburgh, Scotland This photo taken by Finlay McWalter on the 7th of August 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle, painted by Queen Victoria in 1854 during its construction Balmoral Castle is a large mansion built by Queen Victoria in the Scottish baronial style on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, current (as of 2004) summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II, who stays there for 12...

The station's large size and the unusual topography of its surroundings mean that it contains a large amount of valuable, centrally located land. The station's successive owners, British Rail, Railtrack and its current owner Network Rail have been criticised for underutilising the valuable city-centre spaces available within. Princes Mall (formerly the Waverley Shopping Centre), which occupies a column of space nestling between Waverley Station, Waverley Bridge, and Princes Street, opened in the early 1990s. Railtrack was a group of companies which owned the tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and some stations of the British railway system from its privatisation in 1996 until 2002. ... Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend Company limited by guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now-defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ...

Plans have been drawn up for the latest, long-awaited redevelopment of the station. This will improve facilities and provide more through platforms for trains passing from the East Coast Main Line to the rest of the Scottish network. The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ...

External links

• Station information on Waverley Station from Network Rail

Network Rails logo Network Rail is a British not for dividend Company limited by guarantee that owns the fixed assets of that part of the British railway system that formerly belonged to British Rail, the now-defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ...

• Train times and station information for Waverley station from National Rail
• Street map and aerial photo of Waverley station from Multimap.com

National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name describing the passenger rail service previously provided by British Rail, the now-defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Multimap. ...