East Kilbride railway station

Last updated

11+12 miles (18.5 km) southeast of Glasgow Central.

Contents

Early history

East Kilbride

Scottish Gaelic: Cille Bhrìghde an Ear [1]
National Rail logo.svg
East Kilbride railway station - geograph.org.uk - 2909648.jpg
The station seen in 2012
General information
Location East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire
Scotland
Coordinates 55°45′57″N4°10′52″W / 55.7659°N 4.1810°W / 55.7659; -4.1810
Grid reference NS633546
Managed by ScotRail
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeEKL
History
Original company Busby Railway
Key dates
1 September 1868 [2] Opened
Passengers
2018/19Increase2.svg 1.055 million
East Kilbride railway station about 1909 East Kilbride station.jpg
East Kilbride railway station about 1909

Initially opened in 1868, and operated by the Caledonian Railway Company from Glasgow via Busby which was a spur from the Glasgow to Barrhead railway at Pollokshaws, the line was extended eastwards in 1888 to Hunthill Junction, near High Blantyre, with an intermediate halt at Calderwood Glen.

At Hunthill was a triangular junction where the line from Strathaven joined, then the line proceeded towards Auchinraith Junction where it joined the current Hamiton – Blantyre section of line. This extension of the line was never busy and traffic was suspended during the 1914–18 war, with complete closure coming about as a consequence of the 1939–45 war, after which the line was cut back to Nerston where it serviced some local industries such as Mavor and Coulson Mining Equipment.

The section immediately beyond East Kilbride station was also used for many years for shunting etc., and photographs exist of a derailment of a locomotive in this section in 1951. The section between Busby and East Kilbride has always been a single line and was worked by a token arrangement until the resignalling of the East Kilbride Line on 24 February 1974.

1966

The section from Nerston to the current station was closed on 24 January 1966, shortly before the last steam-hauled passenger services ceased in March of that year. Some of the track beyond East Kilbride was in situ until the early 1970s although not in use; photographs as late as 1972 show an overbridge at West Mains Road and the line continuing underneath.

The course of the former railway is built on immediately beyond the station; however, the route can be easily followed towards Nerston and beyond. The line is in fact a footpath between Main Street and East Mains Road and to this day is still easily recognisable as a former railway. The former viaduct at High Blantyre is long gone but the piers are still easily visible. Beyond High Blantyre the route is completely replaced by housing but is still possible to follow with a careful eye on Google Maps.

Despite the postwar development of East Kilbride as a New town development, serious consideration was given to the closure of the line following the 'Beeching Report'. However, a concerted effort by the Glasgow-East Kilbride Railway Development Association in the late 1960s secured the line's survival into the present era.

Present era

Goods traffic to East Kilbride, latterly domestic coal for Kanes, lasted until the 1980s. The goods yard next to the station was demolished in the late 1980s, after which the land was sold and redeveloped as private flats. The Caledonian goods shed survived the loss of general freight in the late 1960s and was occupied by scrap merchants until about 1990, then being demolished during redevelopment of the site.

The station is considered to be poorly positioned for modern uses, as it is built near the heart of the old village of East Kilbride, and only partly serves the large new area that has grown since it opened. Since the 1970s, there have been a number of plans to extend the line to East Kilbride Shopping Centre and the bus station; however, none of these have ever come to fruition, primarily due to the cost of any such project and the difficulty in the steep and densely built over terrain between the current station and the centre. The last such proposal in 1989, which involved tunnelling beneath the area around the Civic Centre to reach the new (1986) bus station, was defeated by protests from local 'NIMBY' interests.[ citation needed ]

British Rail & SPTE also published plans in the early 1980s to re-route services west of Clarkston onto the Neilston branch of the Cathcart Circle Lines using a short-lived connection between the two routes first laid in 1903. This would have brought overhead electrification to the branch and seen trains run via Muirend and Cathcart to Glasgow, but also seen Giffnock & Thornliebank stations closed (along with the section of line between Clarkston & Busby Junction). The proposals proved unpopular and were not implemented. [3]

In spite of the aforementioned setback, several service improvements have been made since 1990, including the introduction of a half-hourly train services following the installation of a passing loop between East Kilbride and Hairmyres, platform lengthening and expansion of 'park and ride' facilities. Previously, additional peak hour services were provided by additional trains which shunted from the siding at East Kilbride, although this fell into disuse after the half hourly service was introduced and was dismantled and lifted in 2005.

The once quite extensive infrastructure that existed at East Kilbride is no more and only a single line to the buffer stop now exists. There is room available for future expansion to two platforms should the need arise, particularly with electrification planned in the medium term by the Scottish Government.

The station hosts a ticket kiosk that is open most of the hours that trains run to and from the station, as well as a small News Kiosk shop. [4]

Services

There is a daily half-hourly service (including Sundays) north-west to Glasgow Central with extra journeys during weekday peak periods. The average journey time to Glasgow Central is 30 minutes. [5] The earliest train leaving the station is at 06:18 Monday to Friday, and 08:26 on Sundays. The last train to arrive at the station is at 23:50. [6]

Preceding station National Rail logo.svg National Rail Following station
Terminus  ScotRail
Glasgow South Western Line
  Hairmyres
Disused railways
Calderwood Glen Platform   Caledonian Railway
Blantyre and East Kilbride Branch
  Hairmyres

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathcart Circle Lines</span> Suburban railway lines in Glasgow

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 Partnership for Transport network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Florida railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Mount Florida railway station is a staffed island platform station on the Cathcart Circle. It serves the Mount Florida and Battlefield areas of Glasgow, Scotland and can get busy on match days as it is nearby to Hampden Park football stadium. Services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crosshill railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Crosshill railway station is a railway station serving the Crosshill and Govanhill areas of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the Cathcart Circle Line but also has trains going to and from Neilston and Newton. Services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryhill railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Maryhill railway station is a railway station serving the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the Maryhill Line, 4+34 miles (7.6 km) northwest of Glasgow Queen Street, a short distance east of Maryhill Viaduct and Maryhill Park Junction. It has two side platforms. Services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blantyre railway station</span> Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Blantyre railway station serves the burgh of Blantyre, near Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the Argyle Line, 14 km south east of Glasgow Central railway station. Passenger services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow South Western Line</span> Railway line in the UK

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton railway station</span> Railway station in South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Newton railway station is a railway station located between the neighbourhoods of Drumsagard, Halfway, Newton and Westburn in the town of Cambuslang, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail on the Argyle and Cathcart Circle Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollokshields East railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Pollokshields East railway station is one of three railway stations serving Pollokshields in Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Cathcart Circle Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muirend railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow City, Scotland, UK

Muirend railway station is an island platform suburban railway station in the Muirend area of Glasgow, Scotland. The station, which opened in 1903, is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Neilston branch of the Cathcart Circle Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamwood railway station</span> Railway station in East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Williamwood railway station is a railway station in the Williamwood area of the town of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Neilston branch of the Cathcart Circle Lines. The line here forms the boundary which separates Clarkston and Giffnock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neilston railway station</span> Railway station in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK

Neilston railway station is a railway station in the village of Neilston, East Renfrewshire, Greater Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and lies on the Cathcart Circle Lines, 11+34 miles (18.9 km) southwest of Glasgow Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollokshaws West railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Pollokshaws West railway station is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is served by trains on the Glasgow South Western Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giffnock railway station</span> Railway station in East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Giffnock railway station is a railway station in the town of Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the East Kilbride branch of the Glasgow South Western Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarkston railway station</span> Railway station in East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Clarkston railway station is a suburban side platform railway station in the town of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the East Kilbride branch of the Glasgow South Western Line. It was opened in 1866 by the Busby Railway.

The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (L&AR) was an independent railway company built to provide the Caledonian Railway with a shorter route for mineral traffic from the coalfields of Lanarkshire to Ardrossan Harbour, in Scotland.

The Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway was a railway jointly owned by the Caledonian Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway, completed in 1873, and giving the latter a shorter access to its Carlisle main line. A branch to Beith was also built.

The Cathcart District Railway was proposed to serve the arising demand for suburban residential travel on the south side of Glasgow, Scotland. It was planned as a loop running to and from Glasgow Central station, but at first only the eastern arm, to Cathcart via Queens Park, was built, opening in 1886. The western arm was opened in 1894 and trains operated round the loop. A frequent passenger train service was operated, and there was also a limited goods and mineral operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarkston, East Renfrewshire</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Clarkston is a suburban town in East Renfrewshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. A dormitory town with a population of around 10,000, Clarkston is on the southern fringe of the Greater Glasgow conurbation and directly adjoins the neighbouring suburban villages of Busby and Netherlee, as well as the towns of Newton Mearns and Giffnock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busby Railway</span>

The Busby Railway is a short railway line built to the south of Glasgow, connecting the small villages of Thornliebank, Giffnock, Clarkston and Busby and later Thorntonhall and East Kilbride with the city. It opened in two stages, in 1866 and 1868, and served industry and encouraged residential development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calderwood Glen Platform railway station</span> Disused railway station in Scotland

Calderwood Glen Platform railway station was a public and an excursion platform on the Blantyre and East Kilbride Branch of the Caledonian Railway which ran from East Kilbride to Hunthill Junction at High Blantyre. Opened in 1907 served by trains between East Kilbride and Blantyre until 1924 and after used as an excursion platform for the Calderwood Estate pleasure grounds until closure in 1939 due to war time shortages.

References

  1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. Butt 1995, p. 88.
  3. "The Origins of the Neilston Line" Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Netherlee.org; Retrieved 31 August 2016
  4. "East Kilbride station | ScotRail". www.scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  5. Table 222 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  6. Glasgow-East Kilbride (PDF). Scotrail. 2019.

Bibliography