Glasgow Central station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Glasgow Central | |
| Image:AM Glasgow Central.JPG | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Glasgow |
| Local authority | City of Glasgow |
| Operations | |
| Station code | GLC |
| Managed by | Network Rail |
| Platforms in use | 16 (2 on lower level) |
| Annual entry/exit | 27.006<ref name="stationusage">Station usage. Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.</ref> million * |
| History | |
| Key dates | Opened 1879 Rebuilt 1901 - 1905 Refurbished 1984 - 1986 Refurbished 1998 - 2003 |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| * based on sales of tickets in 2004/05 financial year which end or originate at Glasgow Central. Disclaimer (PDF) | |
Glasgow Central Station 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 July 31 1879.<ref name=thomas>Thomas, John (1971). “Chapter VIII: Glasgow”, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 6 Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5408-6.</ref>
It is the busiest railway station in Scotland with 27 million departing from, or arriving at Glasgow Central in the most recent year.<ref name="stationusage" /> This also makes it the busiest station in the entire United Kingdom outwith the London area.<ref name="stationusage" /> 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 to destinations south of the border.
Contents |
[edit] Original station
The original station, opened in 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.<ref name=thomas/>
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.<ref name=thomas/> It was also initially intended to increase Bridge Street station to eight through lines and to increase Central Station to 15 platforms.<ref name=thomas/>
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<ref name=thomas/>.<ref name=awdry>Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing, 77.</ref> The Glasgow Central Railway was taken over by the Caledonian Railway in 1890.<ref name=thomas/><ref name=awdry/>
[edit] The 1901 - 1905 station
Between 1901 and 1905 the original station was rebuilt.<ref name=thomas/> The station was extended over the top of Argyle Street and thirteen platforms were built.<ref name=thomas/> An additional eight-track bridge was built over the Clyde;<ref name=thomas/> with the power operated signal box, opened on 5th April 1908, sitting suspended between the two river bridges. Bridge Street station was then closed.<ref name=thomas/>
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 has 14 platforms covered by a large steel ridge/furrow roof. These platforms are numbered 1 - 11, 11a and 12 - 13. It 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 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.
Image:Heilanman's Umbrella, Glasgow.jpg The station's famous architectural features are the large glass-walled bridge that takes the station building over Argyle Street, nicknamed as the "Highlandman's Umbrella" by locals<ref name=thomas/> because it was used as a gathering place for visiting Highlanders;<ref name=Nicolaisen>Nicolaisen, W.F.H. (2001). Scottish Place Names. ISBN 0-85976-556-3.</ref> 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 via 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.
[edit] Electricification
25Kv AC Overhead power lines began to appear on the high level platforms by the mid 1960s. Firstly, from the Cathcart Circle Line electrification scheme, which started on 29 May 1962;<ref name=Little> Little, Stuart M. (December 1979). "Greater Glasgow's Railway Network". Scottish Transport No. 33: 2 - 12. ISSN 0048-9808.</ref> followed by the electrification of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway and the Inverclyde Line to Gourock and Wemyss Bay, completed in 1967;<ref name=Little/> and the WCML northern electrification scheme in 1974.
[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.<ref name=awdry/> However, the trams had been withdrawn by 1962, so this may be another 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.
[edit] Flooding
Over the festive period of 1994 (11 December), torrential rain caused the River Kelvin to burst its banks at the closed Kelvinbridge, with the water making its way through the disused tunnels to Exhibition Centre and the Low Level station, 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 Exhibition Centre for a number of weeks. Most services were routed to the High Level platforms, or to Queen Street station. Incidentally, the flooding had a number of other effects, most infamously causing a cryptospiridium outbreak in Glasgow's water supply.
[edit] 1980's Redevelopmemnt
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 refloored in marble.
[edit] 1998 to 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
Three train operating companies operate trains to and from this station:
- Virgin Trains - to London (Euston) and the North West, Midlands and South of England
- GNER - to Edinburgh, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London (King's Cross)
- First ScotRail - Passenger services within Scotland, and sleepers to London.
A taxi rank is to the north of the station; buses operate from adjacent streets. The Glasgow Underground operates from St Enoch, about 5 minutes' walk away to the south-east, or Buchanan Street station, 5 minutes' walk to the north.
In order to accommodate the proposed Glasgow Airport Rail Link, scheduled to open in 2008 - 09, an extended Platform 11a will be created by demolishing the present platform-level car park, and passenger drop off area. Parking will still be available on the sub-platform levels, and capacity will not drop significantly.
There is a proposal for a Glasgow Crossrail scheme which would connect Glasgow Queen Street to Glasgow Central. The train would leave Queen Street lower level and arrive at Glasgow Central high level via
- - High Street Station on the North Clyde Line which would be demolished and relocated.
- - A new station which would be built at Glasgow Cross, tucked behind the Mercat Building.
- - Another new station which has been proposed in the Gorbals, opening the area up to the railway network for the first time since the 60's.
- - West Street subway station would be expanded and remodelled so as to provide another interchange between the railway network and the Subway.
SPT operate a bus service to Glasgow Queen Street and the Buchanan bus station; this bus is numbered 398.
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Station information on Glasgow Central station from Network Rail
- Train times and station information for Glasgow Central station from National Rail
- Street map and aerial photo of Glasgow Central station from Multimap.com
[edit] Services
Note - Argyle Street station did not exist on the Glasgow Central Railway
| Major UK railway stations |
|---|
| Managed by Network Rail: Birmingham New Street • Edinburgh Waverley • Gatwick Airport • Glasgow Central • Leeds City • Liverpool Lime Street • Manchester Piccadilly |
| Managed by train operator: Aberdeen • Belfast Central • Birmingham Snow Hill • Brighton • Bristol Temple Meads • Cardiff Central • Crewe • Derby • Doncaster • Glasgow Queen Street • Hull • Manchester Victoria • Newcastle Central • 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 • Victoria • Waterloo |
| Managed by train operator: Blackfriars • Marylebone • Moorgate • St Pancras |
