Glasgow Central station

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Glasgow Central
Location
Place	Glasgow
Local authority	Glasgow City Council
Coordinates	55°51′31″N 4°15′28″W / 55.8585, -4.2579Coordinates: 55°51′31″N 4°15′28″W / 55.8585, -4.2579
Operations
Station code	GLC
Managed by	Network Rail
Platforms in use	16 (2 on lower level)
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Rail Passenger Usage
2002/03 *	22.958 million
2004/05 *	27.006 million
2005/06 *	29.380 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	SPT
History
1 August 1879	High Level Station Opened
10 August 1896	Low Level Station Opened
1901–1905	High Level Station Rebuilt
1960	Re-Signalling
3 October 1964	Closure of Low Level Station
May 1974	Start of "Electric Scot" services to London Euston
5 November 1979	Reopening of Low Level Station as part of Argyle Line
1984–1986	Refurbished
1998–2003	Refurbished
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Glasgow Central from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.
UK Railways Portal

Glasgow Central approaches

Legend Glasgow Central   Glasgow Central Railway   River Clyde -- parts of former station reused as carriage sidings Glasgow Bridge Street   Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway   City of Glasgow Union Railway   Eglinton Street Polloc and Govan Railway     Polloc and Govan Railway     General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway Pollokshields East Cathcart District Railway   Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway     Cathcart District Railway

Glasgow Central (Gaelic: Stèisean Meadhan Ghlaschu) is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, Scotland, and is managed by Network Rail. It is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, and was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879.^[1]

It is the busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London.^[2] According to Network Rail, over 34 million people depart from, or arrive at, Glasgow Central each year.^[3] Glasgow Central serves all of the Greater Glasgow conurbation's southern towns and suburbs, the Ayrshire and Clyde coasts, as well as being the terminus for all inter-city services from Glasgow to destinations south of the border.

Contents 1 Original station 2 Low level station 3 The 1901–1905 station 4 Signalling 5 Electrification 6 Late 20th century developments 6.1 Low level station 6.1.1 Closure 6.1.2 Re-opening 6.1.3 Flooding of the Low Level line 6.2 1980s redevelopment 6.3 1998–2005 refurbishment 7 Train operating companies 8 Future schemes 9 References 9.1 Notes 9.2 Sources 10 Services

[edit] Original station

The original station, opened on 1 August 1879 on the north bank of the River Clyde, had eight platforms and was linked to Bridge Street station by a railway bridge over Argyle Street and a four-track railway bridge, built by Sir William Arrol, which crossed the Clyde to the south.^[1]

The station was soon found to be too congested. A temporary solution of widening the bridge over Argyle Street and inserting a ninth platform on Argyle Street bridge was adopted.^[1] It was also initially intended to increase Bridge Street station to eight through lines and to increase Central Station to 15 platforms.^[1]

[edit] Low level station

The low-level platforms, in what was originally a separate station, were added to serve the underground Glasgow Central Railway, which was authorised on 10 August 1888 and opened on 10 August 1896.^[1][4] The Glasgow Central Railway was taken over by the Caledonian Railway in 1890.^[1][4] Services ran from Maryhill Central and from the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway in the west through to Rutherglen and via Tollcross through to Carmyle, Newton and other Caledonian Railway destinations to the east of Glasgow.

[edit] The 1901–1905 station

Between 1901 and 1905 the original station was rebuilt.^[1] The station was extended over the top of Argyle Street and thirteen platforms were built.^[1] An additional eight-track bridge was built over the Clyde,^[1] and the original bridge was raised by 30 inches (0.75 m).^[5] Bridge Street station was then closed.^[1]

The station is on two levels—the High Level station at the same level as Gordon Street and which bridges over Argyle Street, and the underground Low Level station.

The High Level station now has 14 platforms covered by a large steel ridge/furrow roof. These platforms are numbered 1–11, 11a and 12–13. Platform 11a was created during the 1901–1905 rebuild but was not originally for passenger use—it was known as the Fish, Fruit and Milk platform.

Central Station has a spacious concourse containing a variety of shops, catering outlets, ticket offices and a travel centre. The station is fronted by the Central Hotel on Gordon Street, designed by Robert Rowand Anderson. The world's first long-distance television pictures where transmitted to the Central Hotel in the station, on 24 May 1927 by John Logie Baird.^[6] The station building also houses a long line of shops and bars down the Union Street side. Although not obvious to the general public, there is also an extensive system of tunnels and underground caverns used for car parking and utility purposes built underneath the station.

The station's famous architectural features are the large glass-walled bridge that takes the station building over Argyle Street, nicknamed as the "Heilanman's (or Hellaman's) Umbrella" by locals^[1] because it was used as a gathering place for visiting Highlanders;^[7] and the former ticket offices / platform and train-destination information building. This was a large oval building, with the booking office on the ground floor and the train information display for passengers on large printed cloth destination boards placed behind large windows on the first floor by a team of two men. Underneath the "Umbrella" is a bustling array of shops and bars, as well as the "Arches" nightclub, theatre, gallery and restaurant complex.

[edit] Signalling

The original 1889 signal box was replaced with an electro-pneumatic power-operated signal box based on the Westinghouse system.^[8] Work started in October 1907 and it opened on 5 April 1908.^[8] It was built directly over the River Clyde, sitting suspended between the two river bridges, well above the level of the tracks.^[8] Inside was a frame of 374 miniature levers, making it the longest power frame ever built in Great Britain.^[9]

The present Glasgow Central Signalling Centre, located in the "vee" of Bridge Street Junction, opened on 2 January 1961. It replaced signal boxes at Central Station, Bridge Street Junction, Eglinton Street Junction and Eglinton Street Station.^[9] When initially opened it was capable of handling 1,000 routes.^[9]

The new signalling centre was needed for three reasons:

• The 1907 power signal box was worn out;
• The original 1879 bridge over the River Clyde was coming to the end of its useful life, and it was more effective to use the newer (1904) bridge to handle all the traffic, with the lines signalled by-directionally;
• Electrification of the Cathcart Circle Lines, and subsequently the Gourock and Wemyss Bay services and the West Coast Main Line.^[9]

Plans are in hand to install new signalling at Glasgow Central, which is to be controlled from a new signalling centre at Cowlairs.

[edit] Electrification

Overhead power lines began to appear on the high-level platforms by the mid-1960s. Firstly, 6.25 kV AC Overhead power lines from the Cathcart Circle Line electrification scheme, which started on 29 May 1962.^[10][11] During this period, the old 1879 bridge over the River Clyde was removed and the railway lines were rearranged.^[9]

This was followed by the 25 kV AC overhead-power-lines electrification of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway and the Inverclyde Line to Gourock and Wemyss Bay, completed in 1967;^[10] and the WCML northern electrification scheme in 1974. Part of the Cathcart Circle was upgraded to 25 kV AC supply in 1974, to provide a diversionary route;^[11] the whole of the Cathcart Circle route was later upgraded to that supply.^[11]

Plans exist to electrify other routes, such as the Whifflet Line, as part of a scheme to improve rail services in Scotland.

[edit] Late 20th century developments

[edit] Low level station

[edit] Closure

Services through the Low Level station were withdrawn on 3 October 1964, said to be due to competition with the tram.^[4] However, the trams had been withdrawn by 1962, so this may be a contradiction of the "Beeching Axe".

[edit] Re-opening

In 1979 part of the low level line was electrified and the Low Level station was re-opened as the Argyle Line of the Glasgow suburban railway network. It consists of a single island platform, numbered as platforms 14 & 15.

Initially services were provided by Class 303 and Class 314 units. The latter units were built specifically for this service. Following the withdrawal of the Class 303 units, the service is, as of 2007, provided by Class 318 and Class 334 "Juniper" units.

Class 320 units were intended to be used on the route, but the narrow tunnels made this proposal impossible, and these units are restricted to the North Clyde Line.^{[citation needed]}

Further details of services can be found in the Argyle Line article.

[edit] Flooding of the Low Level line

Over the Christmas festive period of 1994, on 11 December, torrential rain caused the River Kelvin to burst its banks at the closed Kelvinbridge station, with the water making its way through the disused tunnels to Exhibition Centre and the Low Level station,^[12] which was completely submerged by the resultant flash flood. It was closed for many months while repairs were made.

In August 2002, torrential rain flooded out the low-level stations from Dalmarnock through to Exhibition Centre for a number of weeks. Most services were routed to the High Level platforms, or to Queen Street station. Incidentally, the 2002 Glasgow floods had a number of other effects, infamously causing a cryptospiridium outbreak in Glasgow's water supply.

[edit] 1980s redevelopment

The high-level station's facilities were substantially redeveloped in the mid 1980s. The old ticket office / train information building was replaced by an all-new Travel Centre in 1985 adjacent to the Gordon Street entrance, and by 1986 a massive electro-mechanical destination board at the end of the platforms, with a smaller repeater board at the western side of the concourse, had replaced the archaic manually operated train-information boards. The old booking office / train information building was retained and redeveloped into shops, eateries and an upstairs bar/restaurant, and the station was re-floored in marble.

[edit] 1998–2005 refurbishment

In 1998, a five-year renovation programme was initiated by Railtrack, which saw the station completely re-roofed and internally refurbished. The 1980s vintage mechanical destination boards were replaced with modern LED-style information signage. The final improvement, the upgrading of the upstairs restaurant area, was completed in 2005.

[edit] Train operating companies

Five train-operating companies operate trains to and from this station:

• First ScotRail / SPT – Passenger services within Scotland, and sleepers to London Euston.
• Virgin West Coast – to London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
• National Express East Coast – to Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and London King's Cross
• First Transpennine Express – via Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Manchester to Manchester Airport.
• CrossCountry – Cross-country routes via Edinburgh and East Coast Main Line.^[13]

A taxi rank is to the north of the station, while buses operate from the adjacent streets. St Enoch and Buchanan Street Subway stations are within a few minutes' walk of the station.

SPT operate a bus service to Glasgow Queen Street and the Buchanan bus station; this bus is numbered 398.

[edit] Future schemes

In order to accommodate the proposed Glasgow Airport Rail Link, scheduled to open in 2011, an extended Platform 11a will be created by demolishing the present platform-level car park and passenger drop-off area.^[14][15] There are no plans to replace indoor parking or passenger drop-off within Central station. The existing multi-storey parking facility on Oswald Street and on-street parking surrounding Central station will remain, with passenger drop-off also moving to surrounding streets.^[16]

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 

• Kernahan, Jack (1980). The Cathcart Circle. Falkirk, Stirlingshire: Scottish Railway Preservation Society. ISBN 0-9043-9601-0. OCLC 85045869. 

• Cameron, Dugald (compiler); Hume, John R. (chapter 1); Nelson, Robin (chapter 17); Summers, Jim (chapter 26) (2006). Glasgow Central: Central to Glasgow. Boat of Garten: Strathwood Ltd. ISBN 1-9052-7605-2. OCLC 80155887. 
• Thomas, John (1971). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume VI Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders, 1st edition, Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5408-6. OCLC 16198685. 
• Thomas, John; Paterson, Rev A.J.S. (1984). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume VI Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders, 2nd edition, Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-9465-3712-7. OCLC 12521072. 

• History of Glasgow Central station

[edit] Services

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Motherwell		CrossCountry Cross-Country Route		Terminus
Motherwell		Virgin Trains West Coast Main Line		Terminus
Motherwell		National Express East Coast		Terminus
Motherwell		TransPennine Express (TransPennine North West)		Terminus
Motherwell		First ScotRail Lowland Caledonian Sleeper		Terminus
Argyle Street		First ScotRail  Argyle Line		Anderston
Paisley Gilmour Street		First ScotRail  Ayrshire Coast Line		Terminus
Cardonald		First ScotRail  Inverclyde Line		Terminus
Pollokshields East or Pollokshields West		First ScotRail  Cathcart Circle Line		Terminus
Dumbreck		First ScotRail  Paisley Canal Line		Terminus
Cambuslang		First ScotRail  Shotts Line		Terminus
Motherwell		First ScotRail North Berwick Line		Terminus
Crossmyloof		First ScotRail  Glasgow South Western Line		Terminus
Carmyle		First ScotRail  Whifflet Line		Terminus
Historical Railways
Glasgow Cross Line open; station closed		Caledonian Railway  Glasgow Central Railway		Anderston Line open; station open
Eglinton Street Line open; station closed		Caledonian Railway  Cathcart District Railway		Terminus
Rutherglen Line open; station closed		Caledonian Railway  Polloc and Govan Railway		Terminus
Bridge Street Line open; station closed		Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western Railways  Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway		Terminus
Strathbungo Line open; station closed		Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western Railways  Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway		Terminus

v • d • e Railway stations and underground stations in Glasgow
Commuter lines: █ Argyle • █ Ayrshire Coast • █ Cathcart Circle • █ Croy • █ Cumbernauld • █ Inverclyde • █ Maryhill • █ Motherwell-Cumbernauld • █ North Clyde • █ Paisley Canal • █ Shotts • █ South Western • █ Whifflet
City centre stations: Anderston • Argyle Street • Charing Cross • Glasgow Central • High Street • Queen Street
Other stations: Alexandra Parade • Anniesland • Ashfield • Baillieston • Barnhill • Bellgrove • Bridgeton • Cardonald • Carmyle • Carntyne • Cathcart • Corkerhill • Croftfoot • Crookston • Crosshill • Crossmyloof • Dalmarnock • Drumchapel • Drumry • Duke Street • Dumbreck • Easterhouse • Exhibition Centre • Garrowhill • Garscadden • Gilshochill • Hillington East • Hillington West • Hyndland • Jordanhill • Kelvindale • Kennishead • King's Park • Langside • Maryhill • Maxwell Park • Mosspark • Mount Florida • Mount Vernon • Muirend • Nitshill • Partick • Pollokshaws East • Pollokshaws West • Pollokshields East • Pollokshields West • Possilpark and Parkhouse • Priesthill and Darnley • Queen's Park • Scotstounhill • Shawlands • Shettleston • Springburn • Summerston
█ Glasgow Subway stations: Bridge Street • Buchanan Street • Cessnock • Cowcaddens • Govan • Hillhead • Ibrox • Kelvinbridge • Kelvinhall • Kinning Park • Partick • St Enoch • St George's Cross • Shields Road • West Street
Disused stations: Bellahouston • Botanic Gardens • Bridge Street • Bridgeton Central • Buchanan Street (mainline) • College • Crow Road • Eglinton Street • Finnieston • Gallowgate Central • Glasgow Cross • Glasgow Green • Gorbals • Govan • Hyndland • Ibrox • Kelvinbridge • Kelvinside • Kirklee • Maryhill Central • Merkland Street • Parkhead Stadium (GCR) • Parkhead North (NBR) • Partick Central (also known as Kelvinhall) • Partickhill • Partick West • Pollokshields • Possil • Shields • Shields Road • St Enoch (mainline) • Strathbungo • Tollcross • Whiteinch Victoria Park
Transport in Glasgow • Strathclyde Partnership for Transport UK railway stations: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

v • d • e Major UK railway stations Managed by Network Rail: Birmingham New Street • Edinburgh Waverley • Gatwick Airport • Glasgow Central • Leeds • Liverpool Lime Street • Manchester Piccadilly Managed by train operator: Belfast Central • Belfast Great Victoria Street • Brighton • Bristol Parkway • Bristol Temple Meads • Cardiff Central • Cardiff Queen Street • Crewe • Derby • Doncaster • Glasgow Queen Street • Manchester Victoria • Newcastle • Nottingham • Reading • Sheffield • York Railway stations of London: Central area | Greater London Managed by Network Rail: Cannon Street • Charing Cross • Euston • Fenchurch Street • King's Cross • Liverpool Street • London Bridge • Paddington • St Pancras • Victoria • Waterloo Managed by train operator: Blackfriars • Clapham Junction • Marylebone • Moorgate • Waterloo East

v • d • e Major railway stations of Scotland Managed by Network Rail: Edinburgh Waverley · Glasgow Central Managed by First ScotRail: Aberdeen · Ayr · Dundee · Glasgow Queen Street · Haymarket · Inverness · Perth · Paisley Gilmour Street · Stirling Managed privately: Glasgow Prestwick Airport