Glasgow Central Railway

Early days

The Glasgow Central Railway company received royal assent in 1888. The following year the company was absorbed into the Caledonian Railway. The line was opened in sections:

* 26 November 1894 - Stobcross to Maryhill
* 1 November 1895 - Rutherglen to Glasgow Cross
* 1 October 1896 - Line through Glasgow Central Low Level
* 1 February 1897 - Link through Carmyle to Newton open

In 1923, the Railway became part of LMS.

Connections to other lines

Stobcross Railway

Re-instated when the Argyle Line was re-opened in 1979 to provide a link to the North Clyde Line for westbound trains.

Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway

* An underground junction at Stobcross. A section of this tunnel (with some new construction) was re-opened in 1979 to provide the eastbound link from the North Clyde Line to the Argyle Line.
* A triangular junction at Maryhill Central.

London Road Link (The Switchback)

A connection to allow access to the north of Glasgow, including the sidings at Parkhead Forge and the Buchanan Street Main Line.

Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway

Still open for Whifflet Line services. The junctions gave access in the Coatbridge direction and the link onto Newton.

Clydesdale Junction Railway

Still open with WCML and Argyle Line services. At Newton connected to allow trains to head in an easterly direction. At Rutherglen access to the WCML is in both directions via a triangle of lines.

Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway

Now part of the Kirkhill Branch of the Cathcart Circle, the Glasgow Central Railway connected to allow trains to head in a westerly direction.

Closures

There were a number of individual station closures prior to the line being closed:

* 1 January 1917 - Glasgow Green (reopened on 1 June 1919)
* 6 February 1939 - Botanic Gardens
* 1 May 1939 - Kirklee
* 4 August 1952 - Kelvinbridge
* 3 August 1959 - Stobcross; Anderston

The line was closed to passengers between Maryhill Central and Stobcross on 2 November 1959, although freight from Maryhill through to the docks at Stobcross continued until 14 August 1960 and Kelvinbridge until 6 July 1964. On 5 October 1964 the remaining passenger services were withdrawn. The only section of the line that remained open was between Tollcross and Tollcross East Junction (at Carmyle) for freight until 4 April 1966.

Gallery

Reopening

The line between Rutherglen and Exhibition Centre was re-opened as part of the Argyle Line in 1979, which included the construction of a new station at Argyle Street. There have also been suggestions that the tunnels should be used to extend the existing Glasgow Subway from Kelvinbridge further out West.

Further reading

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* [http://www.railscot.co.uk/Glasgow_Central_Railway/frame.htm RAILSCOT on Glasgow Central Railway]