Despite its grand name, this is actually the least busy of Coatbridge's six railway stations, situated on the Argyle Line and the Motherwell to Cumbernauld Line, just to the west of the town centre. Coatbridge Central Railway Station (known in Gaelic as Drochaid a' Chòta Meadhain comprises two platforms, connected by a subway, and a utilitarian passenger shelter. A through-line passes immediately to the east.
It opened as Coatbridge Station in 1843 as a terminus of the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway which had been extended to Coatbridge, primarily to access the Monklands Coalfields, but the line and station were soon absorbed by the growing Caledonian Railway, which rebuilt the station buildings. It was renamed Coatbridge Central in 1953 but reduced services almost brought closure in the 1970s.
Now operated by ScotRail, Coatbridge Central Railway Station is unstaffed and was used by 64,178 passengers (2016-17). Much freight passes through the station on route to the Coatbridge Freightliner Terminal, the Grangemouth Rail Freight Terminal and destinations in the north and east of Scotland. Coatbridge Central is preceded by Greenfaulds Railway Station, 5 miles (8 km) to the north northeast, and followed by Whifflet, a mile (1.5 km) to the southeast.
