, symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = 2017 at Falkirk High - platform 1.JPG , borough =

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name =

Grid reference A projected coordinate system, also known as a projected coordinate reference system, a planar coordinate system, or grid reference system, is a type of spatial reference system that represents locations on the Earth using cartesian coordin ...

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ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...

, platforms = 2 , code = FKK , original =

Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 4 July 1838. It was opened to passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, between its Glasgow Queen Street railway station (sometimes referred to at first as Dundas Street) and ...

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North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

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London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

, years = 21 February 1842 , events = Opened as Falkirk , years1 = 1 February 1903 , events1 = Renamed as Falkirk High , mpassengers = , footnotes = Passenger statistics from the

Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...

Falkirk High railway station is one of two

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s serving the town of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is on the

Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and situated on the southern edge of the town, close to the

Union Canal Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Falkirk is also served by the railway station at

Falkirk Grahamston , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Falkirk Grahamston railway station, Stirlingshire (geograph 5979986).jpg , caption = Falkirk Grahamston station in 2018, following electrification , ...

History

The station was opened as Falkirk with the

on 21 February 1842. Edinburgh-bound services initially terminated at , but were subsequently extended to the

's station at

Edinburgh Waverley Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

in 1846. The NBR took over operations in 1865 when it absorbed the E&GR, with the

succeeding it at the

1923 Grouping The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...

. In 1903, the station was renamed as Falkirk High recognising it being one of several stations in the town (the others being and on the to Larbert/Greenhill loop line) and its location above the town.

Services

Falkirk High station is open (and staffed) seven days per week; at off-peak times eight trains per hour stop, four for Glasgow via Croy and four for Edinburgh via Polmont and Linlithgow. This drops to every half-hour each way in the evenings. Journey times to Edinburgh vary from 27 minutes to 38 minutes depending on stopping stations and time of day; to Glasgow the journey time is between 18 and 26 minutes. On Sundays there is a half-hourly service in each direction. Train services are provided by

Statue

Falkirk High station is home to the metal sculpture of "Antonine the Legendary Engine" by

George Wyllie George Ralston Wyllie MBE (31 December 1921 – 15 May 2012) was a Scottish artist. Wyllie produced a number of notable public works, such as the Straw Locomotive and the Paper Boat. Life Wyllie was born in Shettleston, in the east end of ...

. This sculpture is of sufficient importance to be listed and protected by the

Railway Heritage Committee The Railway Heritage Committee (RHC) was set up in the 1990s following the Privatisation of British Rail in the United Kingdom in the 1990s. Its purpose was to identify and designate railway records and artefacts which were historically significan ...

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Railway stations served by Abellio Scotrail Railway stations in Falkirk (council area) Former North British Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1842 Railway stations served by ScotRail Buildings and structures in Falkirk 1842 establishments in Scotland