The North Clyde Line (defined by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...
as the ''Glasgow North Electric Suburban'' line) is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by
ScotRail Trains
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...
. As a result of the incorporation of the
Airdrie–Bathgate rail link and the
Edinburgh–Bathgate line
The Edinburgh–Bathgate line is a railway line in East Central Scotland. It is also known as the Bathgate branch and was originally operated by the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway. Except for the short section at the original Bathgate terminus ...
, this route has become the
fourth rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Route
The North Clyde Line (known as Dunbartonshire - Glasgow, Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston in timetables), electrified by
British Rail in 1960, ran east–west through the Greater Glasgow conurbation, linking northern Lanarkshire with western Dunbartonshire, by way of the city centre. Fifty years later, in 2010, the line was extended by
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...
east from
Airdrie, by way of re-opening the line to
Bathgate
Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated south ...
meeting up with the line re-opened by
British Rail from
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
The main core of the route runs from to via and
Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level). To the east of the Glasgow city centre, there is a short branch to , while to the west there are two routes between and (via and via ), as well as branches to and .
The lines from to Dalmuir and Milngavie are also used by
Argyle Line services, whilst
West Highland Line services share the line between and . In the east, the line between Newbridge Junction and is shared with the
Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line and the
Edinburgh to Dunblane Line
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. In addition to the interchange with services from Glasgow Queen Street (High Level) and Edinburgh Waverley, there are interchanges with the
Cumbernauld Line at Springburn, with the
Maryhill Line at , and with the
Glasgow Subway at Partick. Some sections of the North Clyde Line are also traversed by freight trains.
The line runs through central
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 popu ...
, and the principal station on the line is Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level). The section through the city centre largely runs in tunnels between High Street and the former Finnieston station (west of Charing Cross at the intersection of
Argyle Street and Kent Road). This is the oldest stretch of underground railway in Glasgow, opened as the Glasgow City & District Railway in 1886 and predating the Glasgow Subway by some ten years.
History
Lists of Openings, Closures, and Re-openings
Constituents
Like most of Glasgow's suburban railways, the North Clyde Lines as they are known today were built piecemeal from a patchwork of routes from various
Victorian-era railway companies. In addition to the extension east of Airdrie, these are listed below:
* 1842 - Haymarket to Newbridge Junction opened by
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway;
* 1846 - Edinburgh Waverley to Haymarket opened by Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway;
* 1849 - Newbridge Junction to Polkemmet Junction opened by
Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway;
* 1850 - Dumbarton Central to Balloch Pier opened by
Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway;
* 1858 - Cowlairs to Bowling and Dalreoch to Helensburgh Central opened by
Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway;
* 1862 - Polkemmet Junction to Coatbridge Sunnyside opened by
Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway;
* 1863 - Westerton to Milngavie opened by
Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
The Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway was a short locally promoted branch line built to connect the industrial town of Milngavie with the main line railway network, near Glasgow, Scotland. It opened in 1863.
The town, and Bearsden, an in ...
;
* 1870 - Coatbridge Sunnyside to Bellgrove opened as the
Coatbridge Branch of
North British Railway;
* 1870 - Bellgrove to High Street Junction opened by
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 ce ...
;
* 1871 - High Street Junction to College opened as the
Coatbridge Branch of
North British Railway;
* 1874 - Stobcross to Maryhill opened by
Stobcross Railway
The Stobcross Railway was a railway line in Glasgow, Scotland, built by the North British Railway to connect from Maryhill to the new dock being built at Stobcross; the dock became the Queen's Dock, opened in 1877. The line was opened first, in ...
;
* 1874 - Anniesland to Whiteinch opened by
Whiteinch Railway
The Whiteinch Railway was a railway line opened in 1874 in Scotland to connect industrial premises that had developed in the area with the Stobcross Railway, giving access to the main line network. It was opened for goods and mineral traffic, and ...
;
* 1875 - Springburn to Bellgrove opened by City of Glasgow Union Railway;
* 1882 - Jordanhill to Clydebank East opened by
Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway
The Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway was a railway company that opened in 1882, giving a rail connection to shipyards and other industry that developed in what became Clydebank. At first it was a purely local line, connecting only at Stobcros ...
;
* 1886 - High Street to Stobcross, Hyndland branch, Jordanhill cord, and Anniesland to Westerton cord opened by
Glasgow City and District Railway
The Glasgow City and District Railway was a sub-surface railway line in Glasgow, Scotland, built to connect suburban routes east and west of the city, and to relieve congestion at the Queen Street terminus.
Construction of the cut-and-cover ro ...
;
* 1891 - Bowling to Dumbarton Central opened by
Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway;
* 1892 - Bridgeton Central to High Street opened by
Glasgow City and District Railway
The Glasgow City and District Railway was a sub-surface railway line in Glasgow, Scotland, built to connect suburban routes east and west of the city, and to relieve congestion at the Queen Street terminus.
Construction of the cut-and-cover ro ...
;
* 1897 - Clydebank to Dalmuir opened by Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway;
The majority of these lines were absorbed by (or were subsidiaries of) the
North British Railway; the exceptions being the
Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway, which was part of the
Caledonian Railway, and the western part of the
Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway (which was joint between the North British and the Caledonian). At the time of the
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 ...
in 1923, the North British Railway became part of the
London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), while the
Caledonian Railway became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).
Closures
Following nationalisation in 1948, all of the lines came under the ownership of
British Railways. A number of former LNER branch lines which fed into the North Clyde system were closed during the 1950s because they duplicated former LMS lines. Other lines closed due to lack of traffic, or later because they were not selected for inclusion in the electrification project. Notable withdrawals of passenger service occurred on:
* 1 May 1930: Manuel and Bathgate to Coatbridge Central (via Blackstone);
* 2 April 1951: Whiteinch Victoria branch, also the Kelvin Valley Line (Maryhill to Kilsyth);
* 10 September 1951: Bothwell to Coatbridge Sunnyside;
* 15 September 1952: Hamilton to Bothwell;
* 4 July 1955: Bothwell to Shettleston;
* 9 January 1956: Ratho to Airdrie;
* 14 September 1959: Clydebank East terminus;
* 5 November 1960: Hyndland branch (replaced by new
Hyndland
Hyndland is a residential area in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.
Description
Bordering Broomhill, Dowanhill, Kelvinside and Partickhill, it is an upper-middle-class neighbourhood populated mainly by professionals (many emplo ...
station on main line)
* 5 November 1979: branch (replaced by on the
Argyle Line)
* 28 September 1986: Balloch Central to Balloch Pier
Re-openings
* 24 March 1986: Newbridge Junction to Bathgate (passenger services)
* May 1989: Airdrie to Drumgelloch
* 18 October 2010: Drumgelloch to Bathgate (line open for driver training and charter trains)
* 12 December 2010: Drumgelloch to Bathgate (passenger services)
Electrification
In 1960 the remainder of the North Clyde suburban system (Airdrie, Springburn and Bridgeton Central to Milngavie, Balloch Pier and Helensburgh Central, including both routes between Partick and Dalmuir) underwent
electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...
. After a ceremony on Saturday 5 November 1960, a free public service of electric trains ran on Sunday, and the full normal advertised public service started on Monday 7 November 1960. A new junction between the former LNER and LMS lines was built at Dunglass, just west of Bowling, allowing North Clyde Line services to use the former LMS (Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire) line through , and the original LNER (Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction) line from Dunglass to Dumbarton Central was closed. The outer areas were electrified to the
25 kV AC 50 Hz standard, with the central area, the Springburn, Bridgeton, and Milngavie branches, and the Yoker line being at 6.25 kV AC due to restricted clearances in tunnels. As insulation technology improved these lines were eventually converted to 25 kV.
In October 2010, the line between Bathgate and Airdrie opened complete with electrification at 25 kV for crew training and charter trains. The section between Bathgate and Haymarket (including the section that is common with the
Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line east of Newbridge Junction) was also electrified at 25 kV. This work was carried out as part of the
Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link.
Argyle line
The former Caledonian Railway lines in north-west Glasgow and Dunbartonshire (
Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway and
Glasgow Central Railway) closed to passengers and then freight. However, the section from through
Glasgow Central (Low Level) was reopened as the Argyle Line in 1979. A new
flying junction was built east of Partick to connect the Argyle Line with the North Clyde Line. The Bridgeton Central branch closed to passengers on 5 November 1979, having been replaced by the re-opened
Bridgeton Cross station on the Argyle Line, though Bridgeton Central station was retained as a carriage cleaning facility. On 17 December 1979, Partickhill station was replaced by the new
Partick (Interchange) slightly to the south, which provides a connection with the Subway.
Balloch Pier
Pleasure steamer operations on
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of ...
ceased in the 1980s, leading to the closure of
Balloch Pier on 28 September 1986. The Balloch branch was further truncated in April 1988 when
Balloch Central was replaced by the new station on the opposite site of Balloch Road, which allowed the elimination of a
level crossing. The
catenary from the closed section to Balloch Pier was then used to reopen the line east of Airdrie to a new terminus at Drumgelloch in May 1989.
Airdrie–Bathgate rail link
Passenger services from Edinburgh to Airdrie ceased in 1956, but the line between Edinburgh and Bathgate was reopened to passenger traffic on a trial basis in 1986 and proved an instant success. In 2005, the
Scottish Executive declared that in line with plans to upgrade the remaining section of the
A8 road to motorway standard, public transport links between
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 popu ...
and
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
must also be improved. Therefore, to create a fourth direct rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the closed section of the
Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway between and
the 1989 Drumgelloch station was re-opened, and the existing lines from Newbridge Junction to Bathgate and Drumgelloch to Airdrie were upgraded. The whole line is double track and electrified, with a maximum line speed of . The existing 30-minute frequency Helensburgh–Drumgelloch and Milngavie–Airdrie services have been extended to providing an enhanced 15 minute frequency between Bathgate and Edinburgh.
The new link received the final approval of the
Scottish Parliament on 28 March 2007 and gained
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
on 9 May 2007. Work commenced with a sod cutting ceremony at in June 2007, with reinstatement of double track between Newbridge and Bathgate being the first stage, completed in October 2008.
The line opened for driver training and charter trains in October 2010, with the passenger service commencing on 12 December 2010.
Cumbernauld Line
As part of the wider
Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), plans were made to electrify the
Cumbernauld Line and the Garngad Chord, adjacent to
Springburn, creating an electrified link between the Springburn branch of the North Clyde Line and the Cumbernauld Line - then operated by diesel multiple units into Glasgow Queen Street High Level - allowing electric service from Cumbernauld into the Low Level of Glasgow Queen Street, and thus connecting Cumbernauld to destinations west of Glasgow, whilst also freeing up capacity on the High Level lines out of Queen Street. Contracts for the improvements were let out in January 2013, with completion scheduled in time for the
2014 Commonwealth Games. From May 2014, electric trains began running between Balloch/Dalmuir and Cumbernauld (Monday - Saturday) and Partick and Cumbernauld (Sunday) using class 318, 320, and 334.
As the reinstatement of the Garngad Chord was cancelled, the through-service trains had to reverse at Springburn station. Following the completion of EGIP, through electric services from Glasgow Queen Street High Level to
Edinburgh Waverley via Cumbernauld were introduced using new
Class 385 units, replacing the services which previously reversed at Springburn.
Service pattern
Off peak Monday to Saturday
*2tph Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh (non-stop Dumbarton East-Dalmuir, Dalmuir-Hyndland, High Street-Garrowhill and Drumgelloch-Bathgate)
*2tph Balloch to Airdrie (via Singer)
*2tph Dumbarton Central to Cumbernauld (via Yoker)
*2tph Milngavie to Edinburgh (non-stop Shettleston-Coatbridge Sunnyside)
Argyle Line services provide services from Glasgow Central (Low Level) to Milngavie, Dalmuir (via Yoker) and Dalmuir (via Singer) on 30 minute frequencies.
Passengers wishing to travel to Milngavie after 7pm must change at Partick or Hyndland for an Argyle Line service.
Sunday
* 2tph Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh (via Singer)
* 1tph Partick to Cumbernauld
Argyle Line services provide services from Glasgow Central (Low Level) to Balloch (via Yoker) and Milngavie on 30 minute frequencies.
Rolling stock
Historic
Prior to electrification, passenger services were operated primarily by
tank engines
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomot ...
, notably
Class N2 0-6-2T and
Class V1/V3 2-6-2T, which were allocated to depots at Parkhead and Kipps (Coatbridge).
Electrification brought the introduction of the legendary and locally-built
Class 303 EMUs
Emus may refer to:
* Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the ...
, operated from a new depot at the former Hyndland terminus station. From 1967 they were joined by the similar
Class 311 EMUs, which were built for the
Inverclyde Line electrification but which were initially allocated to Hyndland for maintenance and were occasionally used on the North Clyde Line. The Class 303 and 311 trains were nicknamed the "Blue Trains" because of the bright Caledonian Blue colour scheme they carried in the 1960s, at a time when most British Railways passenger stock was painted either green or maroon. In the late 1960s they began to be repainted in the new standard
Rail Blue, and from the late 1970s they received coaching stock blue/grey livery. This was followed by the distinctive
Strathclyde PTE
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the are ...
orange-and-black scheme in the 1980s. A few of the last surviving Class 303s eventually received the new SPT carmine/cream livery in the late 1990s. In September 2008
Transport Scotland announced that the SPT carmine and cream livery would be discontinued; trains will start to be repainted in a new, blue livery with white
Saltire motifs at the ends of each carriage.
In the 1970s, a new electric locomotive/EMU depot was built at
Shields Road south of the Clyde, and this took over maintenance of the EMUs used on the
Cathcart Circle
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a mostly suburban railway route linking Glasgow (Central) to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston, on the south bank of the River Clyde. They are part of the Strathclyde Partners ...
and Inverclyde Lines, including all of the Class 311s. The reopening of the Argyle Line in 1979 resulted in the introduction of
Class 314 EMUs, which were allocated to Hyndland. Although used almost exclusively on the Argyle Line, some North Clyde Line services were also operated by Class 314s. In 1987, Hyndland depot closed and was replaced by new carriage sidings at Yoker, with maintenance transferred to Shields Road. Thereafter, Class 311s began to appear more frequently on some North Clyde services. However, it was not until 1990 that a start was made on replacing the Class 303s, which still operated the great majority of services on the North Clyde Line.
Class 320 EMUs were introduced in 1990 and took over most North Clyde services, enabling the withdrawal of many Class 303s and all of the 311s. A few Class 303 units continued to operate on the North Clyde Line until December 2002, when they were finally withdrawn. They were replaced by the
Class 334 Alstom ''
Juniper'' EMUs, together with
Class 318 units which had been cascaded from the
Ayrshire Coast Lines. The Class 318s and 334s also replaced the Class 314 units on the Argyle Line, and these were in turn displaced to the Cathcart Circle and Inverclyde Lines to replace the last 303s.
Present stock
Class 334s currently operate services through to Edinburgh via
Bathgate
Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated south ...
and a handful of North Clyde Line services, with
Class 320s and
Class 318s operating the majority of North Clyde Line services and Argyle Line services. Class 318s and Class 320s are not permitted to operate in service east of Airdrie due to the lack of CCTV and platform mirrors for the driver to check the doors; the Class 334s have CCTV installed onboard.
Future development
Crossrail Glasgow
With many passengers travelling north–south through the city centre having to walk or use a shuttle bus between Central and Queen Street stations, SPT has long proposed a direct rail link between the North Clyde system and the lines radiating from Glasgow Central (High Level). This would allow direct service from Renfrewshire and Ayrshire stations to Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level), and would also allow new cross-city services such as Airdrie to Paisley. The plan would involve re-opening to passenger traffic the freight-only
City Union Line
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 ce ...
between Shields Junction and Bellgrove, and building a new curve between Gallowgate and High Street. Reopening of the closed line from Strathbungo to Gorbals would allow trains from Barrhead and East Kilbride to use Crossrail. Funding for the scheme has yet to be sought, and the project remains a long-term aspiration only.
Accidents and incidents
* On 11 September 1986 two railwaymen were killed in a collision between two trains at Bridgeton Central carriage sidings;
* On 6 March 1989 two people were killed when
two trains collided head-on at Bellgrove.
See also
*
Yoker line
The Yoker line is part of the North Clyde lines. It is not an extension to a line but one of two routes between Dalmuir and Hyndland stations (the other route between them being the Singer line). The stations that lie on the Yoker line are:
...
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{Railway lines in Scotland
Transport in Glasgow
Railway lines in Scotland
Standard gauge railways in Scotland