Old stations of Edinburgh #2: Meadowbank

In 1986, Edinburgh hosted the Commonwealth Games. New sporting facilities were built in the city to accommodate events, including the Commonwealth Pool and Meadowbank Stadium. To easily convey large numbers of spectators from the city centre, a station was opened next to Meadowbank stadium and special shuttles were run between it and Waverly station. A ramp led from the single platform directly to an entrance into the stadium. Shuttle trains ran from Waverly via Abbey Hill Junction and through the site of Abbey Hill station onto the Powderhall stub (which is still open for freight today and is the remaining section of a branch that used to go all the way to Granton Harbour). Meadowbank station was only constructed to serve the stadium and after the Commonwealth Games it saw only occasional use until 1998 when it was decommissioned. The track link through Abbey Hill was disconnected but the site could still be accessed by services from Waverly if they ran to Piershill Junction then reversed onto the Powderhall stub. Since the station closed, the line has been singled which is why there is such a big space between the platform and the track in my photo. Meadowbank stadium is still used for sporting and social events. If you want to see a photo of the station in use, CLICK ON THIS LINK.