Carstairs railway station

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Locale

Just south of the station, there is an important triangular junction (Carstairs Junction) where the West Coast Main Line (WCML) divides. The north-westerly route goes via Motherwell to Glasgow and the north-easterly route goes towards Edinburgh, where the East Coast Main Line begins. The southbound route goes towards Carlisle and London Euston. The line between Edinburgh and Glasgow is the only part of the West Coast Main Line used by London North Eastern Railway services. Carstairs is also a marshalling point and the final boarding point (both sleeping car and overnight coach) in Scotland for the Lowland Caledonian Sleeper trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London Euston.

Before the 2023 remodelling, the layout of the station saw Platform 1 sit on the Down Platform loop with Platform 2 served by the Up Main. Trains from Carlisle and further south that did not need to call at Carlisle could bypass the station on the Down Main. While both platforms were signalled bi-directionally, trains from the Edinburgh direction could only be signalled into Platform 1. Additionally, the junction south of the station for trains heading towards or from Edinburgh was limited to 15mph and presented a bottleneck for operations.

The 2023 remodelling altered this considerably. The main lines now pass to the west of the station enabling the line speed to be raised, and the station now sits on a loop with both platforms remaining signalled for bi-directional operation. These can now both be accessed from any direction - removing another restriction - and new loops for passing freight and slower passenger trains have been constructed north of the station. Finally, the junction south of the station has been rebuilt and the speed raised to 40mph.

Services

Historical

Carstairs was an important junction station where northbound West Coast Main Line trains were split into separate portions for Glasgow, Edinburgh and (to a lesser extent) Stirling and Perth, and for the corresponding combining of southbound trains. However, the introduction of push-pull operation on the WCML and the availability of surplus HST sets for Cross Country traffic (as a result of the ECML electrification) largely eliminated this practice in the early 1990s. Apart from the sleeping car trains, express traffic through Carstairs now consists of fixed-formation trains which do not require to be remarshalled en route. As a result, few express trains now call at Carstairs. There were some local stopping services to Edinburgh and Glasgow, but they were relatively infrequent. Before December 2012, only two trains per day to North Berwick called, and only five trains to Glasgow (three trains went to Dalmuir and two to Central and one terminated at Motherwell). There were very large gaps in between trains with the two Edinburgh-bound trains calling at 07:49 and then again at 15:40; similarly, for the Glasgow trains there was a gap from 07:55 to 18:41.

2019

Prior to March 2020 on Monday to Saturdays, there was a roughly two-hourly service to both Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley (with a few longer gaps) for most of the day, with a few services extended to Ayr and North Berwick; the last northbound service from Edinburgh terminates at Motherwell. There were also a few extra trains operated by ScotRail to/from Glasgow Central Low Level which call at peak times. These operate to Motherwell, Garscadden and Dalmuir. These services do not run on Saturdays, so a slightly reduced service operates from the station on Saturday mornings, In addition, TransPennine Express also provide one train per day to Glasgow Central and one train per day to Liverpool Lime Street via Preston.

2023

On Monday to Fridays, there is a regular 2 hourly service to both Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. Peak time extras also operate to Glasgow in the mornings which go to Glasgow Central and Garscadden and the last train at night terminates at Motherwell, these services are operated by ScotRail. TransPennine Express provide 1 train per day to Glasgow Central and the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow and Edinburgh also calls here.

On Saturdays, the service is broadly the same except the peak time extra trains to Glasgow do not operate. On Sundays, there is 1 train per day southbound to Manchester Airport and the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston, there is no ScotRail or northbound service on Sundays.

Carstairs

Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Tarrais [1]
National Rail logo.svg
Carstairs3.jpg
North end (Glasgow end) of the station
General information
Location Carstairs, South Lanarkshire
Scotland
Coordinates 55°41′29″N3°40′09″W / 55.6913°N 3.6692°W / 55.6913; -3.6692
Grid reference NS952454
Owned by Network Rail
Managed by ScotRail
Transit authority SPT
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCRS
History
Original company Caledonian Railway
Pre-grouping Caledonian Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
15 February 1848Station opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease2.svg 62,376
 Interchange Increase2.svg 14,255
Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
Kirknewton or
Haymarket 		  ScotRail
Argyle Line
  Carluke
Carlisle   Caledonian Sleeper
West Coast Main Line 		  Motherwell
   Edinburgh Waverley
Lockerbie   TransPennine Express
Anglo-Scottish Route 		  Motherwell
  Historical railways  
Thankerton
Line open; Station closed		  Caledonian Railway Main Line
to Greenhill Junction		  Cleghorn
Line open; Station closed
  Caledonian Railway Main Line
from Edinburgh		  Carnwath
Line open; Station closed
Terminus  Dolphinton Branch
Caledonian Railway
  Bankhead
Line and Station closed

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This article describes the Caledonian Railway from its conception down to the year 1850.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. ↑ "Train travel between London and Glasgow | Caledonian Sleeper". Caledonian Sleeper. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "The formation of the Caledonian Railway Company" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 3 May 1913. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Opening of the Caledonian Railway" . Caledonian Mercury. Scotland. 17 February 1848. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. 1 2 UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "Caledonian Railway" . Liverpool Mail. England. 29 September 1955. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Station Platform, Carstairs Junction" . Glasgow Herald. Scotland. 10 August 1885. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Reconstruction of Carstairs Station" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 4 February 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Carstairs Station" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 14 March 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Railway Meetings in Glasgow. Caledonian Company" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 23 February 1916. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "Mishap on Giant new L.M.S. Engine" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 10 February 1930. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ Nock 1974.
  13. ↑ Semmens, Peter (1991). Electrifying the East Coast Route. ISBN   0-85059-929-6.
  14. ↑ "CARSTAIRS JUNCTION REMODELLING". Scotland's Railway. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Carstairs Junction fully reopened". Network Rail. 5 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Death or Stirling Stationmaster" . Dundee Evening Telegraph. Scotland. 19 October 1899. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ↑ "Death of Carstairs Junction Superintendent" . North British Daily Mail. Scotland. 25 June 1900. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Railway Notes" . Aberdeen People's Journal. Scotland. 25 August 1900. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ↑ "Carstairs. Appointment of Stationmaster" . Hamilton Herald and Lanarkshire Weekly News. Scotland. 12 December 1902. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ↑ "Stationmaster Retires" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 16 April 1937. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ↑ "Carnwath. A Stationmaster's Retiral" . Midlothian Advertiser. Scotland. 16 May 1947. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ↑ "Railway Appointment" . Jedburgh Gazette. Scotland. 26 June 1953. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

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