Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 26, 2011



Glasgow Central (Glaschu Mheadhain) is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail. It is the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line. The station serves all of the Greater Glasgow conurbation's southern suburbs and towns, and the Ayrshire and Clyde coasts, and is the terminus for all inter-city services between Glasgow and destinations in England. There is also a limited service to Edinburgh, however the city's second main line terminus - Glasgow Queen Street - remains the principal station for services to the capital. Glasgow Central is the busiest railway station in Scotland and the second busiest in Britain outside London, after Birmingham New Street. Over 38 million people use it annually, 80% of whom are passengers.

The original station, opened on 1 August 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. The station was soon congested. In 1890, a temporary solution of widening the bridge over Argyle Street and inserting a ninth platform on Argyle Street bridge was completed. It was also initially intended to increase Bridge Street station to eight through lines and to increase Central station to 15 platforms.