Bowling railway station

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 mi 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.

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.

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" while The Herald called the station "inundated with muddy water...[the] flood rising almost to the platform’s edge".

Facilities
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.

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%).

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).

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'.