Rutherglen railway station
Encyclopedia
Rutherglen is a railway station in the town centre of Rutherglen
, South Lanarkshire
, Scotland
, and lying on the Argyle railway line
. The station is served by a single island platform
, connected to the street by a footbridge. The closed island platform which lies on the West Coast Main Line
, that was previously in use before the Argyle line was re-opened is still visible, although it is no longer accessible to the public.
's line to Glasgow on 1 June 1849. This station was replaced on 31 March 1879 by a new station located some 765m east of the original station.
Services on the Glasgow Central Railway
commenced on 1 November 1895. Glasgow Central Railway services were withdrawn as part of the Beeching Axe
on 5 October 1964.
On 6 May 1974 the WCML
was opened to electrified services which included Hamilton Circle services through the slow line island platform. This island platform was closed to passengers when the new island platform opened for Argyle Line
services using the reopened Glasgow Central Railway formation on 5 November 1979.
at the opposite end, its use is only permitted for staff accessing the nearby First Engineering Training Centre.
By April 2009 work to create the lift tower was completed.
extension works have resulted in the motorway crossing the north end of the platform on a viaduct.
and either diverges to the Whifflet Line
, or continues on the WCML towards before continuing to the southern ends of the Argyle Line
(Hamilton Circle, , , or ).
Rutherglen
Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.-History:...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and lying on the Argyle railway line
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. It connects the Lanarkshire towns of Lanark, Larkhall and Motherwell to West Dunbartonshire via central Glasgow using sub-surface running...
. The station is served by a single island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
, connected to the street by a footbridge. The closed island platform which lies on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, that was previously in use before the Argyle line was re-opened is still visible, although it is no longer accessible to the public.
History
The original Rutherglen station was opened on the Caledonian RailwayCaledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
's line to Glasgow on 1 June 1849. This station was replaced on 31 March 1879 by a new station located some 765m east of the original station.
Services on the Glasgow Central Railway
Glasgow Central Railway
The Glasgow Central Railway was a railway that ran from Maryhill in the north west of Glasgow through the West End and City Centre to Rutherglen and Newton to the south east of the city.- Early days :...
commenced on 1 November 1895. Glasgow Central Railway services were withdrawn as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
on 5 October 1964.
On 6 May 1974 the WCML
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
was opened to electrified services which included Hamilton Circle services through the slow line island platform. This island platform was closed to passengers when the new island platform opened for Argyle Line
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. It connects the Lanarkshire towns of Lanark, Larkhall and Motherwell to West Dunbartonshire via central Glasgow using sub-surface running...
services using the reopened Glasgow Central Railway formation on 5 November 1979.
1979 station
Access to the present platform is by a large (covered) footbridge from the Main Street, over the high level railway (where the old platform was located) to stairs down to the island platform and ticket office. However, these stairs pose a problem to parents with prams and infirm persons who struggle with the steep gradient the steps are placed at. Although there is a level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at the opposite end, its use is only permitted for staff accessing the nearby First Engineering Training Centre.
Refurbishment
Plans to install both lifts and escalators at the station are taking place as part of the Scottish Executive's £4 million annual commitment to improving disabled access across Scotland's railway stations.By April 2009 work to create the lift tower was completed.
2010 M74 works
During 2010, the M74M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
extension works have resulted in the motorway crossing the north end of the platform on a viaduct.
Argyle Line
The line runs from direction (the north) through Rutherglen to connect with the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and either diverges to the Whifflet Line
Whifflet Line
The Whifflet Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland.- History :The line was built between 1863 and 1865 as the Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway, part of the Caledonian Railway. It opened to goods traffic in September 1865 and to passengers in August...
, or continues on the WCML towards before continuing to the southern ends of the Argyle Line
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. It connects the Lanarkshire towns of Lanark, Larkhall and Motherwell to West Dunbartonshire via central Glasgow using sub-surface running...
(Hamilton Circle, , , or ).