On Sunday 27th September 2026, I headed to Glasgow to visit the brand-new Balgray railway station, located on ScotRail’s Neilston branch line from Glasgow Central. The new station has been built to serve the growing communities around Barrhead, which already has its own railway station, as well as the surrounding areas towards Balgray and Neilston. With Neilston lacking the larger parking facilities needed to encourage more people to use the railway, Balgray has been developed primarily as a Park & Ride station, giving local residents a convenient alternative for travelling into Glasgow and beyond. In many ways, the station is similar to Patterton further along the line, providing additional parking and easier access to the rail network while supporting the growing demand for public transport in the area. Being a brand-new station, I was particularly looking forward to seeing what Balgray was like for myself and experiencing the newest addition to Scotland’s railway network on its opening day.

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I boarded the train at Patterton for the 09:18 service from Glasgow Central, which was running around three minutes late by the time it reached Patterton. This meant my arrival into Balgray was a few minutes later than scheduled, but it didn’t really matter because I was far too excited to finally experience the brand-new station for myself. It was just one stop from Patterton, and before long I was stepping off the train at Balgray for the very first time, adding another brand-new station to my ever-growing journey around the UK railway network.

And with that, the number of railway stations I have visited across the United Kingdom now stands at 2,599, which is honestly quite insane to think about! When I first started this challenge back in 2017, there were around 2,563 railway stations across the UK, so seeing the number grow to 2,599 over the years really puts into perspective just how much the railway network continues to change and expand. New stations opening might seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but for someone attempting to visit every station in the country, each new opening creates another destination to explore and another little piece of the railway story to add to the journey. Balgray is now officially part of that story, and I’m incredibly pleased to have visited it on its opening day.

The station itself is fairly basic, but it has all the essential facilities you would expect from a modern railway station, including waiting shelters and lifts providing step-free access between the platforms. It’s great to see accessibility being considered when new stations are built, making it much easier for passengers with wheelchairs, mobility difficulties or anyone who may struggle with stairs to move around the station. That said, while Balgray provides step-free access onto the platforms, the trains themselves don’t offer level boarding, meaning there is still a gap and height difference between the platform and the train. This is something I’ve become particularly used to back home in Liverpool, where the Merseyrail network provides level boarding on its newer trains, making getting on and off the train much easier for everyone. I’d certainly like to see more level boarding introduced across the wider UK railway network in the future, as it would make rail travel even more accessible and convenient for passengers.

One of the things that caught my attention while exploring Balgray was the information equipment installed around the station. As well as the usual digital displays on the platforms showing the next services, Balgray has these newer information machines which provide passengers with much more detailed information about the trains arriving and departing from the station. I found them rather interesting to have a look at, particularly as this is a brand-new station and it was nice to see some modern technology being introduced alongside the more traditional station facilities. There is also a brand-new ticket machine, and of course I couldn’t leave without putting it to use! I bought a ticket from Balgray to Patterton, which I didn’t really need, but it makes for a nice little souvenir from my visit and, more importantly, gives me something to remember visiting station number 2,599.

Balgray has been built as part of the development of the wider area around Barrhead, Balgray and Neilston, providing another point of access to the railway for the surrounding communities. While Barrhead already has its own railway station, Balgray has been designed with a slightly different purpose, particularly as a Park & Ride facility, giving people who live further out an opportunity to drive to the station, leave their car and continue their journey by train rather than travelling all the way into Glasgow by road. With Neilston having limited parking available around its existing station, Balgray provides additional capacity and another convenient option for passengers using the Neilston branch. It may be a fairly simple station, but it plays an important role in making the railway more accessible to the growing communities around the area and encouraging more people to choose public transport for their journeys into Glasgow and beyond.

Another feature I noticed at Balgray, which has become much more common at newer railway stations, is the use of tactile paving around the entrances to the platforms and other key areas of the station. This provides a clear guide for passengers who are visually impaired or blind, helping them navigate the station and find facilities such as the lifts and platform entrances more easily. It’s something we’re seeing increasingly at stations built or significantly upgraded between 2020 and 2026, whereas many older stations don’t always have the same level of accessibility features, particularly if they haven’t undergone recent improvements. I think it’s really positive to see these features being included as standard on new stations, rather than accessibility having to be added years later. Balgray also benefits from a dedicated car park, which reinforces its purpose as a Park & Ride station, allowing passengers to leave their cars behind and continue their journeys by train. There is also dedicated cycle storage, giving people another option for reaching the station without having to rely entirely on a car or bus, and together these facilities make Balgray a useful modern addition to the Neilston branch.

I also managed to film a video during my visit to Balgray, which I’ll be sharing over on my YouTube channel later this week once I’m back home from Glasgow. I’m currently spending a few days here with my partner, as well as taking the opportunity to catch up with some of my family, so it’s been a really enjoyable trip all round. Visiting Balgray was a particularly pleasant experience, not only because I got to explore a brand-new railway station on its opening day, but also because I bumped into a couple of people who recognised me from my YouTube days. It was lovely to have a chat with them and hear that people still remember some of the things I’ve created over the years. I’m now back in my hotel room, putting this post together while the memories of the visit are still fresh, and I hope you’ve enjoyed following along with me as I explored Balgray and got to experience station number 2,599 for myself. Hopefully, the video will give you an even better look around the station and what it’s like to use this brand-new addition to the railway network.

And with that said, this brings my first impressions of Balgray Station on the Neilston Line to an end. After taking a bit of a break from visiting brand-new railway stations, it has been really nice to get back out there and experience one again, especially as my last proper new station visits were Headbolt Lane and Brent Cross West back in 2023. There’s always something quite special about visiting a station that has only just opened, knowing that you’re among the first people to step onto its platforms, explore the facilities and experience what it has to offer. Balgray may be a fairly simple station, but it’s an interesting addition to the railway network and I’m glad I made the journey to Glasgow to experience it for myself on its opening day. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my visit and getting an insight into what Balgray Station is like, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. Let me know if you’ve already visited the new station yourself, or if you’re planning to make the journey to Balgray in the future!