Glasgow South Western Line

Glasgow South Western Line

A coal train from Ayrshire heads towards England
Overview
Type Heavy rail, Rural Rail[1]
System National Rail
Status Operational
Locale Scotland
North West England
Termini Newcastle
Carlisle
East Kilbride
Glasgow Central
Stranraer
Stations 26
Operation
Owner Network Rail
Operator(s) Abellio ScotRail
Rolling stock Class 156 "Super Sprinter"
Technical
No. of tracks Double track and Single line with Passing loops [1]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Operating speed 80 mph (100 km/h) maximum [1]

Glasgow South Western Line

Legend

Glasgow Central (Glasgow Subway St Enoch)
Glasgow Central (Low Level)

Glasgow Central Railway
River Clyde
Glasgow Bridge Street
Glasgow Subway
Glasgow and Paisley
Joint Railway

Bridge Street Jn
City Union Line
Eglinton Jn
Eglinton Street
to Polloc and Govan Railway
Polloc and Govan Railway
Pollokshields East
Cathcart District Railway
General Terminus and
Glasgow Harbour Railway

Glasgow, Barrhead and
Kilmarnock Joint Railway

Strathbungo
Crossmyloof
River Cart
Pollokshaws West
Busby Jn
Kennishead

Thornliebank

Thornliebank Goods
Priesthill & Darnley
Giffnock
Cathcart Circle Lines
Nitshill
Clarkston
to Potterhill
to Paisley
to Patterton
Barrhead

Barrhead Central
Neilston Low
Busby
Uplawmoor
Busby Print Works
Lugton
Thorntonhall
Dunlop
Hairmyres
Stewarton
East Kilbride
Kilmaurs
to Hunthill Jn
Kilmarnock West Jn
Kilmarnock Joint Goods
to Crosshouse
Kilmarnock Central Jn
Kilmarnock East Jn
Kilmarnock Goods
Kilmarnock (original)
Kilmarnock
Riccarton and Craigie

Kay Park Jn
Gatehead
Drybridge
Hurlford
Darvel Branch
to Darvel Branch
Ayrshire Coast Line
Barassie
Barassie Jn
Troon Harbour

Troon
for P&O Ferries to Larne

Troon Goods

Troon (old)
Lochgreen Jn
Monkton
to Annbank
Ayr to Mauchline Branch
Mauchline
Mauchline Jn
Catrine
Prestwick
International Airport
Auchinleck
Prestwick Town
Auchinleck Jn
Glasgow, Paisley,
Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway

Cumnock (original)
Old Cumnock Jn
Ayr to Mauchline Branch
Newton-on-Ayr
New Cumnock
Newton Jn
Hawkhill Jn
Ayr to Mauchline Branch
Ayr
for bus link to Cairnryan Harbour
Kirkconnel
Maidens and
Dunure Railway

Alloway Jn
Maybole Junction
Dalrymple Jn
to Dalmellington
Dalrymple
Cassillis
Sanquhar
Maybole (old)
Maybole
Carronbridge
Kilkerran
Thornhill
Dailly
Closeburn
Killochan
Holywood
Grangeston Halt
Cairn Valley Railway
Maidens and
Dunure Railway

Castle Douglas
and Dumfries Railway

Girvan (old)
Dumfries, Lochmaben and
Lockerbie Railway

Girvan
Dumfries
Pinmore
Dumfries Goods
Pinwherry
Racks
Barrhill
Ruthwell
Glenwhilly
Cummertrees
New Luce
Annan
Challoch Jn
Portpatrick and Wigtownshire
Joint Railway

Dunragit
Solway Junction Railway
Castle Kennedy
Dornock
Cairnryan
Military Railway

Rigg
Gretna Jn
Caledonian Main Line
to Portpatrick
Gretna Green
Scotland
England

Gretna (Caledonian)
Gretna (Border Union)
Stranraer
formerly for Stena Line to Belfast
Waverley Route
Carlisle
West Coast Main Line

The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.

History

The line was built by several railway companies during the 19th century:[2]

The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway amalgamated to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850.

The Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway were amalgamated to form the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway jointly operated by the Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway.

The lines forming the East Kilbride branch were operated by the Caledonian Railway.

Until 1923 the line via Dumfries was in competition with the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as one of the mainlines into Scotland. With the passing of the Railways Act 1921 (Grouping Act) the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

In 1948, with nationalisation the line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways. During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s many of the railway's branch lines were closed, including the direct route between Dumfries and Stranraer, via Galloway on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway and Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, leaving the present 'Y' shaped railway. The former G&SWR terminus at Glasgow St Enoch was also closed in this period (in 1966), with all services rerouted into Glasgow Central.

During the electrification of the West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s, the line was used as a major diversionary route whilst the Caledonian Railway's Annandale/Clydesdale route was closed, particularly during the weekends. Following completion of this project, the sections of line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock (with a crossing loop at Lugton) and Annan and Gretna (controlled from Carlisle) were singled. Re-doubling of the Annan to Gretna section was completed in August 2008, controlled from Dumfries Station signal box.

The line is not electrified, with the exception of parts of the line around the approaches to Glasgow Central and the section of the line (Barassie to Ayr) shared with the Ayrshire Coast Line (Ayr to Glasgow via Kilwinning). In early 2009, work commenced to re-double the line between Lugton and Stewarton based on the 2008 plans published by Network Rail.[3] Completed in September 2009, this allows ScotRail to run a half-hourly service to Kilmarnock.

Accidents and incidents

Route

Trains serve the following stations.

East Kilbride branch
Stranraer line

Services

Class 156s at Kilmarnock

In the latter years of British Railways, operations were sectorised. All Scottish operations (excluding the WCML and ECML services), including this line, became part of the Regional Railways operation - being branded as ScotRail.

Following privatisation, passenger services upon the line were taken over by ScotRail, (part of National Express), and are now operated by Abellio ScotRail with the track and signalling being operated (nationally) by Network Rail. The Dumfries route remains one of only three railway lines between the Scottish border and lowland areas alongside the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line. Along with the Settle-Carlisle Railway, the line is much used as both a diversionary route, especially during the recent West Coast Main Line modernisation, and for freight, notably coal from the several open cast coalmines of the Ayrshire Coalfield that adjoin the line.

Between Glasgow Central and Gretna Green and Girvan the line is operated by the Scottish Train Operating Company (TOC) - currently ScotRail. Electric train services are also provided between Glasgow and Troon and Ayr via the Ayrshire Coast Line. Some services continue on from Carlisle to Newcastle, though the daily direct services between Newcastle and Stranraer via Kilmarnock that once ran over the route were withdrawn in December 2009. There are also a number of through services between Glasgow & Stranraer that run direct via Paisley & Kilwinning (others run via Kilmarnock, as do certain trains to/from Girvan[5]). From the December 2015 timetable change, new Scotrail franchisee Abiello has changed the timetable on the Stranraer line - the service frequency to/from Ayr has increased from six trains each way to nine on weekdays (and three to five on Sundays), but there are now no longer any direct trains to Glasgow via Paisley - all services now run via Kilmarnock.

In the 1970s, most of the intermediate stations between Kilmarnock and Carlisle were closed, leaving only Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Annan. Since then, the stations at New Cumnock, Auchinleck, Sanquhar and Gretna Green have been reopened. There have been several studies recently as to the possibility of reopening Thornhill station, roughly halfway between Dumfries and Sanquhar.

Rail & Sea Connections

The Glasgow South Western Line links into the ferries at Stranraer via the bus connecting with Cairnryan for the Stena Line ferries to the Port of Belfast and the P&O Ferries to Larne Harbour. The Stena Line ships (previously Sealink) ran from Stranraer Harbour until 2011. A bus connection to Cairnryan is also now provided from Ayr. The line also connects Troon to the P&O Ferries service to Larne Harbour. Onward rail connections are run by Northern Ireland Railways.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Business Plan 2007 Network Rail. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
  2. Awdry
  3. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/StrategicBusinessPlan/RoutePlans/2008/Route%2026%20-%20Strathclyde%20and%20South%20West%20Scotland.pdf
  4. Dalton, Alastair (1 August 2015). "Trains crash near Cumnock in Ayrshire". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  5. GB Rail Timetables 216 & 218, May 2013

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glasgow South Western Line.

Further reading

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