Carstairs railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Carstairs
other_name =

---

caption = North end (Glasgow end) of the station.
code = CRS
manager = First ScotRail
locale = Carstairs
borough = South Lanarkshire
latitude = 55.691
longitude = -3.668
platforms = 2
pte = SPT
lowusage0203 = 9,407
lowusage0405 = 12,329
lowusage0506 = 14,589
lowusage0607 = 13,766
years = 15 February 1848
events = Station opened
years1 =
events1 =

Carstairs railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is a major junction station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), situated close to the point at which the lines from London Euston to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh diverge. Constructed originally by the Caledonian Railway, the station is operated today by First ScotRail on behalf of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

The section of the WCML between Carstairs and Lockerbie has the distinction of being the longest section of railway in the entire British railway network uninterrupted by a station.

Locale

Just south of the station, there is an important triangular junction (Carstairs Junction) where the WCML divides. The north-westerly route goes via Motherwell to Glasgow and the north-easterly route goes towards Edinburgh, where the East Coast Main Line begins. The south-bound route goes towards Carlisle and London. The line between Edinburgh and Glasgow is the only part of the West Coast Main Line used by National Express East Coast services. Carstairs is also a marshalling point and the final boarding point (both sleeping car and overnight coach) in Scotland for the Lowland Caledonian Sleeper trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh and London Euston. In this it helps to preserve two great traditions of the WCML, against formidable odds. Firstly, the operation of overnight sleeper services between Scotland and London and secondly, the joining and division of trains en route (the first being dependent on the second).

Northbound WCML services usually pass the station on an avoiding line, away from the platform, but northbound services coming off the chord from Edinburgh (ECML and Cross Country) will always pass platform 1. However, all southbound services must pass platform 2, as there is no avoiding line on that side of the station.

Electrification

The route through the station was electrified as part of the early 1970s electrification scheme that covered the West Coast Main Line between Weaver Junction and Glasgow Central. As part of this the station was re-signalled. The critical point was the connection from the Edinburgh on a minimum radius curve whilst providing a connection into the down platform whilst avoiding the installation of a diamond crossing. The requirement for superelevation through the up platform for 90mph running required deep ballasting the side effect of which required the platform to be raised. The original station buildings were being retained (now demolished) therefore continuous railings were provided to prevent passengers inadvertently falling down from one level to the other. ["Electric Euston to Glasgow"; O.S. Nock (1974) ISBN 0-7110-0530-3.]

The route to Edinburgh was not part of the 1970s scheme, however was included as part of the late 1980s ECML scheme, with electric services starting to use the line in 1989 (prior to the commencement of the main East Coast Main Line (ECML) electric services). ["Electrifying the East Coast Route"; Peter Semmens (1991) ISBN 0-8505-9929-6.]

ervices

Historically

Carstairs was an important junction station where northbound West Coast Main Line trains were split into separate portions for Glasgow, Edinburgh and (to a lesser extent) Stirling and Perth, and for the corresponding combining of southbound trains. However, the introduction of push-pull operation on the WCML and the availability of surplus HST sets for Cross Country traffic (as a result of the ECML electrification) largely eliminated this practice in the early 1990s. Apart from the sleeping car trains, express traffic through Carstairs is now comprised of fixed-formation trains which do not require to be remarshalled en route. As a result, few express trains now call at Carstairs. There are some local stopping services to Edinburgh and Glasgow, but these are relatively infrequent.

Presently

Virgin West Coast Pendolino services to/from Glasgow do not normally stop at Carstairs, except during times of train failure or engineering works. Virgin do however operate one train a day each way between Manchester and Glasgow and this service is operated by Voyager and calls at Carstairs. Also on Monday to Friday only they operate a morning Pendolino service to Edinburgh Waverley which starts at Carstairs.

Virgin CrossCountry, provided a once daily service from the station to Manchester Piccadilly, using its Class 220/221 Voyager diesel units. However, since the withdrawal of CrossCountry services between Glasgow and Carlisle after the franchise passed into the hands of Arriva this is no longer the case.

The InterCity 225 service from Glasgow Central to London Kings Cross, every two hours, provided by National Express East Coast does not stop at Carstairs. This has been the case since Electrification in the early 90's. They do however slow dramatically from the 100 mph line speed either side of the station, to approximately 30mph to negotiate the tight radius single line curve connecting the main WCML to the eastern spur to Edinburgh Waverley.

First ScotRail services from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick call at the station three times a day in each direction. First ScotRail also provide two terminating services a day from Motherwell and Garscadden in Western Glasgow via Glasgow Central Low Level. These services cater for the small commuter market in the Carstairs area, though their main reason for stopping at the remote Carstairs station instead of the nearby, busier Lanark station is due to platform congestion at the latter during the start of the morning peak and the end of the evening peak.

The Caledonian Sleeper calls at this station six days a week on each leg of its journey. The sections from Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central are joined/split at the station for their onwards journeys. Sleeper services to Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen do not call at the station.

First TransPennine Express services from Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley to Manchester Airport do not call at the station.

Routes

rail line
previous = Kirknewton
next = Carluke
route = First ScotRail
North Berwick Line
col = ff80c0rail line
previous =
next = Carluke
route = First ScotRail
Argyle Line
col = 77dd77rail line one to two
previous = Carlisle
next1 = Motherwell
next2 = Edinburgh Waverley
route1 = First ScotRail
Lowland Caledonian Sleeper
route2 = First ScotRail
Lowland Caledonian Sleeper
col = ff80c0rail line one to two
previous = Lockerbie
next1 = Motherwell
next2 = Haymarket
route1 = Virgin Trains
West Coast Main Line
route2 = Virgin Trains
West Coast Main Line
col = ff0000rail line one to two
previous = Thankerton
Line open; Station closed
next1 = Cleghorn
Line open; Station closed
next2 = Carnwath
Line open; Station closed
route1 = Caledonian Railway Main Line
to Greenhill Junction

route2 = Caledonian Railway Main Line
from Edinburgh

col = Caledonian colour rail line
previous =
next = Bankhead
Line and Station closed
route = Dolphinton Branch

Caledonian Railway
col = Caledonian colour
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References