Caledonian Railway Main Line.html



Description of the route

The Caledonian Railway Main Line runs from Carlisle, via Annandale, Beattock and the Clyde valley, to Central Scotland. The original Glasgow terminus was at Buchanan Street access via the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway (from Coatbridge) which was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway. Buchanan Street remained the Glasgow terminus until 1897, when Glasgow Central become the major Caledonian terminus for trains from the south. Access was via the Clydesdale Junction Railway from Motherwell. A junction at Carstairs provided a connection to Princes Street station in Edinburgh.

The main line from Carlisle was opened as far as Beattock on 9 September 1847.^[1] The section from Beattock to Edinburgh opened on 15 February 1848; and the section from Beattock to Glasgow, Buchanan Street, opened on 1 November 1849 for passengers and on 1 January 1849 for goods.^[1] The final section of the journey was initially via Monklands, on the Wishaw and Coltness Railway and the Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway, which had opened in 1831.

The main line from Carlisle to Glasgow (but now to Glasgow Central) and Edinburgh (but now to Edinburgh Waverley) is still in use today, although quite a few of the original Caledonian railway stations have closed. It is now the northern section of the West Coast Main Line; the southern section being the former London and North Western Railway.

The main line at Quintinshill, near Gretna Green was the site of the Quintinshill rail crash, which occurred on 22 May 1915.^[2] Two rival lines connected to the Caledonian Railway near this point: the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway, at Gretna, later to become the Glasgow and South Western Railway, and still in use today as the Glasgow South Western Line; and the North British Railway's Waverley Line, currently closed in its entirety.

Carstairs to Greenhill Junction

Caledonian Railway Main Line (Carstairs to Greenhill Junction)

Legend    Scottish Central Railway Greenhill Lower (SCR)    Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Greenhill Lower and Upper Junctions    Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Cumbernauld Greenfaulds Glenboig Garnqueen North Junction Garnqueen South Junction    Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Gartsherrie North Junction Gartcosh Junction   Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway Gartsherrie South Junction Sunnyside Junction Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway       Coatbridge Branch (NBR) Coatbridge Central (CR) / (M&KR) Langloan North Junction Whifflet High    Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway    Whifflet South Junction Whifflet Mossend Yard Mossend Mossend North Junction    Cleland and Midcalder Line Mossend South Junction Holytown    Jerviston Branch (Wishaw and Coltness Railway) Holytown South Junction    Cleland and Midcalder Line    Clydesdale Junction Railway Lesmahagow Junction Lesmahagow Junction Motherwell    Coalburn Branch Shieldmuir and Wishaw Central Junctions Wishaw Central Wishaw Central Junction    Wishaw and Coltness Railway Wishaw South Overton    Wishaw and Coltness Railway Law Pits Law Junction Hallcraig Pit Castlehill Iron Works Carluke Braidwood Craigenhill Lime Mine Cleghorn Lanark Douglas / Silvermuir Junctions    Douglas Branch (Caledonian Railway) Carstairs Caledonian Railway Main Line to Edinburgh Strawfrank Junction Caledonian Railway Main Line to Carlisle

A complex section of line running north through Lanarkshire to East Dunbartonshire were a connection was made with the Scottish Central Railway at Greenhill Lower Junction. Although adjacent to the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway at Greenhill Junctions, no direct connection was made which included the absorption of the Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway (between Gartsherrie North Junction and Whifflet) and the Wishaw and Coltness Railway (between Whifflet and Law Junction). Between Mossend and Motherwell, a Motherwell deviation line was constructed away from the original route of the Wishaw and Coltness Railway. To provide additional capacity, a Wishaw Deviation Line was constructed between Holytown (on the Cleland and Midcalder Line) and Law Junction.

Silvermuir Junctions (north of Carstairs) provided a triangular connection to the Lanark and Douglas Branches.

Connections to other lines

• Scottish Central Railway at Greenhill Lower
• Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway at Gartsherrie
• Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway between Coatbridge Central and Whifflet
• Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway at Garnqueen South Junction, Gartsherrie North Junction and Whifflet
• Cleland and Midcalder Line at Holytown railway station and Mossend Junctions
• Wishaw and Coltness Railway at Law Junction
• Lanark Branch at Silvermuir Junctions
• Douglas Branch at Douglas Junctions on Lanark Branch

Current operations

In 2007 the line is open to passenger services:

• WCML and ECML services from Glasgow to the south (south of Motherwell)
• Argyle Line services between Motherwell and Lanark (via Wishaw / Holytown) and peak hour services to Coatbridge Central.
• Whifflet Line services which terminate at Whifflet (off the Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway) before running forward to Mossend Yard to change direction.
• Motherwell to Cumbernauld Line Services.
• Cumbernauld Line services between Garnqueen North Junction and Cumbernauld (and Greenhill Lower Junction for Falkirk trains)

In 2008, a feasibility study is to take place to examine the possibility of opening a new station to serve the town of Law. ^[3]

Carstairs to Carlisle

Caledonian Railway Main Line (Carstairs to Carlisle)
Legend Caledonian Railway Main Line to Greenhill Junction Carstairs Caledonian Railway Main Line to Edinburgh Strawfrank Junction Thankerton