Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)

Introduction

This station and associated approach lines are open. This is the main terminus in Glasgow for services to the south, as well as many local services. Also known as the Gordon Street Lines.



Dates

  /  /1848Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation to the Caledonian Railway to complete their line to Glasgow with a bridge over the River Clyde in Glasgow and a city station. (Not proceeded with.)
  /  /1865Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
The Caledonian Railway buys land at Blythswoodholm Lands (the lower part of the Blythswood Estate, west of Glasgow's old town centre and west of the later Glasgow Central). The land was taken for use for a new station and line to be built on the north bank west of Glasgow.
  /  /1869Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Caledonian Railway authorised to dispose of land it owns at Blythswoodholm Lands.
  /  /1873Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Gordon Street Station, opened as Glasgow Central, and Gordon Street Lines authorised.
  /  /1875Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation to expand and alter the existing Bridge Street station, largely in connection with the opening of Glasgow Central. Original proposed route of Gordon Street Lines abandoned.
  /  /1875Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
In exchange for the Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central] [1st] crossing the River Clyde at the Broomielaw, the Caledonian Railway pays the Clyde Trustees £70,500.
  /  /1875Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Compensation to the Clyde Trustees for the Glasgow Bridge (also known as Jamaica Bridge). Additionally the Caledonian Railway contributes to the cost of widening the bridge.
22/11/1877Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Approval for locomotive shed, Eglinton Street Shed, at Eglinton Street.
  /  /1878Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed, a four road brick locomotive shed with 42ft turntable, opened to reduce light engine movements to Polmadie Shed via the congested Bridge Street Junction to Gushetfaulds section. The new shed was a sub-shed of Polmadie. Opened in anticipation of Glasgow Central.
  /  /1878Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Extension of time to complete lines granted.
01/10/1878Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Original bridge across the Clyde from Bridge Street to Glasgow Central completed, Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central] [1st].
14/10/1878Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Connection at Bridge Street opened - related to the opening of Glasgow Central.
01/07/1879Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Gordon Street lines opened - Central Station Junction (just north west of Gushetfaulds Junction) to Eglinton Street Junction to Bridge Street Junction opened. Strathbungo Junction to Eglinton Street Junction opened.
01/07/1879Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Clyde Place (by Bridge Street) opened.
12/07/1879Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
New portions of Bridge Street opened, in connection with the opening of Glasgow Central.
01/08/1879Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Central opened. Initially serving westbound trains over the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway .
01/09/1879Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Central fully opened. Trains for England via the Caledonian Railway are transferred from Glasgow Buchanan Street. The service to Edinburgh Princes Street is also transferred. South Side [CR] closed.
  /  /1881Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Central Station Hotel, at Glasgow Central, authorised.
19/06/1883Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Central - Central Station Hotel opened.
18/11/1884Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed converted for carriages.
06/04/1885Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Cathcart Road station opened, a replacement for South Side [CR], closed some years previously when replaced by Glasgow Central.
01/07/1886Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
With the opening of the Cathcart District Railway to Cathcart [1st] (on 25/05), Cathcart Road station is renamed Gushetfaulds.
  /  /1887Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Extension of time allowing the Caledonian Railway to retain Blythswoodholm Lands.
  /  /1887Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation to expand the station and lay additional approach lines.
  /  /1887Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation to widen the line between Clyde Place (Bridge Street) and Eglinton Street.
21/11/1889Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Clyde Place (by Bridge Street) closed.
  /  /1890Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Bridge Street station expanded.
07/07/1890Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Quadrupling of line from Bridge Street to Eglinton Street Junction.
07/07/1890Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Widened Clyde Place (Bridge Street) to Eglinton Street opened.
  /  /1899Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation of the enlargement of Glasgow Central and widening of the lines south to Bridge Street along with a new Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central].
  /  /1899Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Authorisation to quadruple line from Eglinton Street Junction through Eglinton Street to Central Station Junction.
  /  /1901Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Route of Eglinton Street new lines altered. Authorisiation to build longer Crawford Street bridge (now Kilbirnie Street) - new longer bridge built at an angle to original. Salkeld Street re-routed at its southern end. Victoria Street (now Stromness Street) shortened.
  /  /1902Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed sidings and turntable used for engines again.
01/06/1904Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Extension to Glasgow Central and Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central] opened.
  /  /1906Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Central station enlarged and a massive new bridge across the River Clyde opened, Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central].
01/05/1907Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Gushetfaulds station closed. The buildings and platforms were subsequently removed allowing the tracks to be re-aligned.
05/04/1908Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
New signal box partially opens at the expanded Glasgow Central.
03/05/1908Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
New signal box comes into full operation at Glasgow Central.
28/02/1909Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Line quadrupled from Eglinton Street Junction through Eglinton Street to Central Station Junction. Enlarged Eglinton Street station opened.
  /10/1914Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed gains new pits.
  /  /1915Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed turntable replaced with 51ft.
  /04/1920Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed coaling depot improved.
04/05/1920Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed rented out to West of Scotland Aviation Co.
  /  /1959Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street Shed sidings, turntable and coaling facility falls out of use due to introduction of DMUs, which are serviced at Cook Street, Smithy Lye Carriage Sidings.
  /01/1961Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Original Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central] [1st] bridge over the Clyde taken out of use.
02/01/1961Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Approach lines to the station re-signaled to use the new bridge only. The electropneumatic power frame signal box on the bridge removed.
01/02/1965Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Eglinton Street station closed.
  /04/1970Caledonian Railway
Wishaw and Coltness Railway
Clydesdale Junction Railway
Polloc and Govan Railway
Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
West Coast Main Line electrification authorised.
  /  /1972Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Automatic ticket barriers introduced.
22/10/1972Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Powerbox modernised.
06/05/1974Caledonian Railway Wishaw and Coltness Railway Clydesdale Junction Railway Polloc and Govan Railway Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Glasgow Central to Carlisle electrification complete.
  /06/1997Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
At an estimated cost of £25M work to re-glaze Glasgow Central with reinforced wired safety glass begins. The work will be considerable: 50,000 panes will be replaced over the 6.8 acre area, 44,226 square metres of lattice steelwork will be repainted and 2.8 miles of guttering replaced or repaired. To protect passengers a safety deck will be erected over the platforms and concourse at a height of 10 metres.
13/02/1998Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Last mail train runs from the station to Cardiff.
  /09/2000Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Completion of the £35M re-glazing of Glasgow Central's trainshed which began three years earlier.
05/01/2004Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Class 390 Pendolino 390004 'Virgin Scot' arrives at Glasgow Central from London, becoming the first Penolino to cover the whole length of the West Coast Main Line.
  /03/2004Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
Main departure board replaced with LED version.
12/05/2010Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway)
New platforms 12 and 13 opened on the site of the former road carriage roadway, trains entering under the large arch.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Central Station Junction to Central Station.

This portion runs from Central Station Junction (at Gushetfaulds) to Glasgow Central Station.

This junction was not at Glasgow Central but around a mile and a half to the south at Gushetfaulds. Here the 1879 approach to Central station via Bridge Street met the existing lines (actually the Clydesdale Junction Railway built short link from Gushetfaulds Junction to South Side [CR].
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More details

See also
Clydesdale Junction Railway


This station was to the west of Cathcart Road on the Gordon Street Lines approach to Glasgow Central from Central Station Junction. It was originally named Cathcart Road.
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Steel preparation and painting works being undertaken at Cathcart Road, Polmadie. ...
Network Rail /05/2022
1 of 1 images.


The platform level canopies and buildings at this station are gone, although low platform mounds remain. For the main platforms the style was similar to the buildings and canopies which survive at Gleneagles and Stirling stations.
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Eglinton Street on its day of closure, 30th January 1965, with the up 'Midday Scot' approaching behind an English Electric Type 4. ...
Brian Haslehust 30/01/1965
Jubilee 45574 'India' has English Electric Type 1 D8113 as pilot for the first stage of the journey south over the Glasgow and South Western route ...
Robin McGregor 18/07/1964
The 11.07 Avanti service from Euston passes the former Eglinton Street station on 3 September 2022.
...
Bill Roberton 03/09/2022
A Cravens DMU on a Glasgow Central-Coalburn service calling at Eglinton Street on its day of closure, the very wintry 30th January 1965. ...
Brian Haslehust 30/01/1965
4 of 34 images. more


This junction is north of the former Eglinton Street station and south of Bridge Street Junction on the southern approach to Glasgow Central from the Cathcart Circle, Kilmarnock and East Kilbride lines and West Coast Main Line.
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As a local retreats on the Down Muirhouse an Avanti West Coast Pendolino takes the Up Fast (as you would expect). The rather obscured sign misspells ...
David Panton 14/07/2021
Near Eglinton Street Junction an inner Cathcart Circle train passes south under the former CGU approach to its Eglinton Street station (Cumberland ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
Eglinton Street Junction looking north. From left to right; line for Cathcart Circle, Neilston, Newton, East Kilbride, Barrhead and Kilmarnock; centre ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
The 1530 Pendolino from London Euston approaching Eglinton Street Junction on 26th June 2015 and passing a Welcome to Glasgow greeting. ...
Colin McDonald 26/06/2015
4 of 4 images.




This was a large terminus in Glasgow on the South bank of the River Clyde. No part of the original station remains but portions of its later extension remain on Bridge Street. It was replaced by Glasgow Central, just to the north over the River Clyde.
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More details

See also
Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway
Glasgow Central Station Extension (Caledonian Railway)
This fine building is the only surviving part of Bridge Street station, which was Glasgow's first custom-built passenger terminus, situated just to ...
David Bosher 05/09/2022
385028 leads 385025 with the 17.20 from Lanark, past the former Bridge Street station on the left, on 16 April 2023. The box-shaped structure on the ...
Bill Roberton 16/04/2023
This view shows the offices at Bridge Street looking from Bridge Street itself. ...
Graham Morgan 12/08/2006
A Class 156 still in old ScotRail colours passes Bridge Street in the approach to Glasgow Central ...
Graham Morgan 05/08/2006
4 of 10 images. more


A signal box opened at the north end of Bridge Street station, south end of the Clyde Viaduct [Glasgow Central] [1st] in 1879.
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The original Glasgow Central viaduct over the River Clyde was manufactured at the Dalmarnock Iron Works of William Arrol and Company between 1875 and 1879. It was a four track viaduct of five spans 50ft wide.
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The Clyde Bridge is getting a makeover, as are the piers of the old bridge - note the inscription in ancient Greek and English. The wee red rescue ...
David Panton 07/10/2020
Looking north across the Clyde to Glasgow Central Station and Broomielaw between the piers of the old viaduct on 25 March 2007. ...
John Furnevel 25/03/2007
View northwest across the Clyde Viaduct and the remains of its predecessor towards Glasgow Central on 25 March. ...
John Furnevel 25/03/2007
Remaining piers of the old Clyde Viaduct stand on the south bank of the river with the replacement in the background, March 2007. ...
John Furnevel 25/03/2007
4 of 4 images.


This is the busiest station in Scotland. It was established by the Caledonian Railway in 1879 and was hugely expanded in 1901-5.
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More details

See also
Glasgow Central Station Extension (Caledonian Railway)
86012 at Glasgow Central on 24 June 1989. ...
Roger Geach 24/06/1989
86232 'Harold Macmillan' at Platform 1, Glasgow Central in February 1988
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Bill Roberton /02/1988
380108 awaits departure from Glasgow Central on 14 October 2023.
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Bill Roberton 14/10/2023
A Swindon Class 120 unit and a Met Cam centre car make up a hybrid formation leaving Glasgow Central with a service for Kilmarnock in 1989.
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Bill Roberton //1989
4 of 878 images. more





Muirhouse South Junction to Eglinton Junction

This portion runs from Muirhouse South Junction to Eglinton Street Junction giving access to the line to Glasgow Central Station.

This junction was formed in 1879 when the Glasgow Central Station (Caledonian Railway) (Gordon Street lines) met the 1849 General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway close to Strathbungo Junction (just to the south).
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More details

See also
General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway
Under the Muirhouse/Strathbungo Junctions gantry (last week 05/08/1952 of lower quadrant arms). 2.6.4T 42128 on inner circle train. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 05/08/1952
1 of 1 images.


This junction opened at the north end of a short 1894 connection which was made to complete the Cathcart District Railway. Rather than cross the General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway on the level a double junction was created at Muirhouse Central Junction, the southern end of the connection. Opening this created a duplicate section of line between the north junction and ...

More details

See also
Cathcart District Railway
A service for Newton via Queen's Park approaches its first stop, Pollokshields East on 14 July 2021. The tracks on the left carry both the G&SW and ...
David Panton 14/07/2021
Muirhouse CE Workshops seen from passing southbound DMU. These sidings are no longer in use. ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
156 504 passes Muirhouse North Junction with a Carlisle train on 10th September 2018. The lines to the right are for the Cathcart ...
Bill Roberton 10/09/2018
An outer circle service takes the Cathcart Circle at Muirhouse North Junction and prepares to stop at Pollokshields East. The two used tracks to the ...
Ewan Crawford 27/03/2011
4 of 6 images. more


This small railway workshops was south of Muirhouse Road on the west side of the Glasgow Central approach lines. It was bounded on the west side by the Muirhouse Saw mills and the line from Muirhouse to Terminus Junction.
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More details

See also
General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway


This junction is formed between the Gordon Street Lines (the approach to Glasgow Central from Muirhouse South Junction [1st] opened in 1879) and the Cathcart District Railway of 1886.
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More details

See also
Cathcart District Railway
The summer Saturday 11.05 Glasgow – Blackpool passes Pollokshields East junction on 27th August 1966. Black 5 45061 has Standard 2-6-4T 80004 ...
Robin McGregor 27/08/1966
Caley Jumbo 57365 shunting at Pollokshields East Junction in September 1953. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 08/09/1953
C.R. 0.6.0 57555 on 5.51pm. Kirkhill train passing Pollokshields (East) Junction. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 27/08/1957
3 of 3 images.




Eglinton Street on its day of closure, 30th January 1965, with the up 'Midday Scot' approaching behind an English Electric Type 4. ...
Brian Haslehust 30/01/1965
Jubilee 45574 'India' has English Electric Type 1 D8113 as pilot for the first stage of the journey south over the Glasgow and South Western route ...
Robin McGregor 18/07/1964
The 11.07 Avanti service from Euston passes the former Eglinton Street station on 3 September 2022.
...
Bill Roberton 03/09/2022
A Cravens DMU on a Glasgow Central-Coalburn service calling at Eglinton Street on its day of closure, the very wintry 30th January 1965. ...
Brian Haslehust 30/01/1965
4 of 34 images. more


This junction is north of the former Eglinton Street station and south of Bridge Street Junction on the southern approach to Glasgow Central from the Cathcart Circle, Kilmarnock and East Kilbride lines and West Coast Main Line.
...

More details
As a local retreats on the Down Muirhouse an Avanti West Coast Pendolino takes the Up Fast (as you would expect). The rather obscured sign misspells ...
David Panton 14/07/2021
Near Eglinton Street Junction an inner Cathcart Circle train passes south under the former CGU approach to its Eglinton Street station (Cumberland ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
Eglinton Street Junction looking north. From left to right; line for Cathcart Circle, Neilston, Newton, East Kilbride, Barrhead and Kilmarnock; centre ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
The 1530 Pendolino from London Euston approaching Eglinton Street Junction on 26th June 2015 and passing a Welcome to Glasgow greeting. ...
Colin McDonald 26/06/2015
4 of 4 images.