St Enoch station was a mainline

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

between 1876 and 1966. The hotel was the first building in Glasgow to be fitted out with electric lighting. The station was demolished in 1977.

History

Located on St Enoch Square in the city centre, it was opened by the

City of Glasgow Union Railway The City of Glasgow Union Railway - City Union Line, also known as the ''Tron Line'', was a railway company founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1864 to build a line connecting the railway systems north and south of the River Clyde, and to build a c ...

in 1876.Butt (1995), page 103Thomas (1971) The first passenger train stopped there on 1 May 1876 and the official opening took place on 17 October 1876. In 1883 it was taken over by the

Glasgow and South Western Railway The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railway ...

(G&SWR) and it became their headquarters. Services ran to most parts of the G&SWR system, including , , , and . In partnership with the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

, through services also ran to England, using the Settle and Carlisle Railway from Carlisle to , , and ; the so-called Thames-Clyde route. It was the site of a rail crash in 1903 in which 16 passengers were killed and 64 injured when a train overran the buffers. In the 1923

grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

it was taken over and then operated by the

London Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

. After the nationalisation of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

rail network, the station was run by

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

. The suburban service to

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

was diverted to St Enoch in 1959, when all but three services were dieselised. The diversion was said to be necessary to reduce the numbers of trains at Glasgow Central. St Enoch Station

St Enoch's Station Clock in the Antonine Centre, Cumbernauld

It was a large station with 12 platforms and two impressive semi-cylindrical glass/iron roofed

train shed A train shed is a building adjacent to a station building where the tracks and platforms of a railway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof. Its primary purpose is to store and protect from the elements train car ...

s. The station was closed on 27 June 1966 as part of the rationalisation of the railway system undertaken by the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

chairman Dr.

Richard Beeching Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the e ...

; upon closure its 250 trains and 23,000 passengers a day were diverted to

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. The roofs of the structure were demolished, despite protests, in 1977.Williams (1999) The clock that was suspended from the roof of the station was saved from destruction and is now on display in Cumbernauld Town Centre. The St Enoch Hotel which fronted the station was also demolished in 1977.

Current site

The site of the station is now occupied by another glass structure, the

St Enoch Centre The St. Enoch Centre is a shopping mall located in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. The centre is located adjacent to St Enoch Square. The Architects were the GMW Architects. The construction, undertaken by Sir Robert McAlpine, began in 19 ...

, a large shopping centre. The remains of the station and hotel were used to help fill in the Queen's Dock, today the home of the

SEC Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, located ...

, the

SEC Armadillo The SEC Armadillo (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located near the River Clyde, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the SEC Centre and the OVO Hydro.

and the

OVO Hydro The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, and is the largest entertainment venue in Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro El ...

. The red sandstone ticket hall which stands in St Enoch Square immediately west of the shopping centre is not part of the former rail station, but is the former ticket hall for the adjacent

St Enoch subway station St Enoch subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway in Scotland. It is located north of the River Clyde in Glasgow city centre. Although it does not have direct interchange with the main line railway, it is located approximately halfway ...

on the

Glasgow Subway The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...

. Though the mainline station is gone, parts of the arcaded approach embankments (now containing shops and restaurants) can be seen to the east of the shopping centre's car park on Osborne Street. Although the short remaining section which once led into the station now goes nowhere, the southern section remains as a freight line along the route of the

Glasgow City Union Railway Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, crossing the Clydebridge Viaduct of 1899 which spans the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

Dunlop Street railway station

St Enoch station replaced a previous station close by called Glasgow Dunlop Street, which was opened by the

on 12 December 1870 and closed by the

the same day St Enoch opened.

Services

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Urban Glasgow Discussion Forum topic about the station, including pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Enoch Railway Station Buildings and structures demolished in 1977 Disused railway stations in Glasgow Former Glasgow and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1876 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1966 Glasgow St Enoch Demolished railway stations Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland