Glasgow Central Railway

Glasgow Central Railway

Stations (from south east to north west) Stations in bold are open Newton Carmyle Tollcross       Rutherglen Parkhead       Dalmarnock Bridgeton Glasgow Green Glasgow Cross Glasgow Central Low Level Anderston Stobcross Kelvinbridge Botanic Gardens Kirklee Maryhill Central       Dawsholme

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

Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway

Via an underground junction at Stobcross, and a triangular junction at Maryhill Central.

London Road Link

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 to Coatbridge 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 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 On 5 October 1964 the remaining passenger services were withdrawn.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.

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.