The Cathcart Circle Lines form a mostly suburban railway route linking

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

(Central) to

Cathcart Cathcart (; , )
is an area of

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

and

Neilston Neilston (, , ) is a village and List of civil parishes in Scotland, parish in East Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the River Levern, Levern Valley, southwest of Barrhead, the last remaining town in greater Glas ...

, on the south bank of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

. They are part of the

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...

of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...

rail network.

History

The lines were built by the Cathcart District Railway (Cathcart Circle) and the

Lanarkshire and Ayrshire 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. It opened in s ...

(Newton and Neilston lines). The first part opened on 1 March 1886 as a double line from Glasgow Central to then single to Cathcart, doubled on 26 May 1886. The circular route back to Central station via

Shawlands Shawlands () is a Southside suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, located two miles south of the River Clyde. The area, considered the "Heart of the Southside", is known for its independent restaurants and cafés, art scene, public parks, period terrace ...

and Maxwell Park was completed on 2 April 1894. The Newton and Neilston branches were built to provide a through route from the

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

coalfields to ports such as

Ardrossan Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns#Scotland, Three Towns'. Ardrossan is loca ...

on the

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

coast. There is still a junction with other lines at Newton, but the track beyond Neilston has been lifted. The lines originally carried significant amounts of freight, but commuter trains are the only regular users now. Football Specials sometimes run to Mount Florida and for major matches at

Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...

. When the lines were built much of the land around them was open countryside. The existence of a commuter railway was a major factor in the development of Glasgow's southern suburbs, although until electrification in 1962 there was virtually no passenger service beyond Kirkhill by this route. On weekdays the services have provided a vital transport link for school pupils and college students at nearby schools and higher education establishments, contributing to passenger numbers on top of the commuter traffic. The lines under

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

ways were

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

on Monday 28 May 1962 at the standard

25 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

, but originally 6.25 kV between and Mount Florida because of limited clearances. The "Blue Trains", units, which had dual voltage capability, replaced steam trains and early diesel units. There was a trial run on the previous day, with over 5,500 passengers reported as using the new trains in their first morning rush hour. Most of the track consists of Jointed Rail

Constituent lines

The lines comprise the following lines:

Cathcart Circle

Built by the Cathcart District Railway.

Newton Line

Built by the

. Diverges from the Circle via a dive under junction south of and at Cathcart South Junction (south of ). The link at Cathcart South junction was put in place during electrification. From here it then runs in an easterly direction towards

, where it joins with both the Hamilton branch of the

Argyle Line The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire. Named for Glasgow's Arg ...

and the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

(WCML). The Newton Line therefore provides a diversionary path for WCML expresses whenever engineering works close the fast lines via Cambuslang.

Neilston Line

Built by the L&AR. Diverges from the Circle at .

Passenger services

Following electrification in 1962

Round the west side of the Circle onto the L&AR lines eastbound, terminating at . East side services ran to Newton, with many extended to via the

Clydesdale Junction Railway The Clydesdale Junction Railway company was formed to build a railway connecting Motherwell and Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton with Glasgow, in Scotland. Conceived for local journeys, it was used by the main line Caledonian Railway to get ...

. The basic service every 30 minutes was Glasgow Central to Neilston via Mount Florida; Central to Motherwell via Mount Florida; Glasgow Central to Kirkhill via Maxwell Park; and Cathcart Circle (Inner and Outer).

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
electrification 1974

This included the Hamilton Circle and resulted in east side services terminating at Newton. Peak services from east and west sides operated to Motherwell via Blantyre and Hamilton.

Argyle Line opening in 1979

The major change being the extension of west side services from Kirkhill to Newton. Until May 1984 there were four trains an hour on the Newton branch (two via Maxwell Park and two via Queen's Park) and two trains an hour in each direction around the Circle, in addition to the services on the Neilston branch. From May 1984, both the Newton and Neilston services remained 2 per hour, none turned back at Kirkhill and only one ran the full circle each way.

2006/07

Services were operated by

First ScotRail First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015. On 17 October 2004, First ScotRail took over operations from the incumbent franchisee, ScotRai ...

, with most services using

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

s, although Class 318s and Class 334s (Juniper units) made occasional appearances on the line.

2014

The basic service (Monday to Sunday) is every 30 minutes from Glasgow Central to Neilston via Mount Florida and every hour from Glasgow Central to Newton via Mount Florida, Glasgow Central to Newton via Maxwell Park and the inner and outer Circle service (does not operate on Sundays). This frequency gives a 30-minute service on the west side of the Circle, Neilston and Newton branches, three trains per hour at Cathcart and four trains per hour between Glasgow Central and Mount Florida. These service levels are less than those of the 1960s. At peak times the above services combine to have trains running approximately every 5–10 minutes between Glasgow Central and Cathcart, where line capacity permits. Several trains are formed of the maximum six cars at these times. Commuter levels on this line are quite high and therefore a high density service is required at such busy periods.

2022/23

The line now features a number of different services, however these are considerably reduced from levels prior to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Basic service levels (Monday to Sunday, off-peak) give 2 trains per hour between Glasgow Central and

, 1 train per hour between

and Glasgow Central via Maxwell Park and 1 train per hour between

and Glasgow Central via Crosshill. There are currently only 6 trains per day which operate the circular service, with none operating on a Saturday or Sunday. These 6 services are peak only, with 3 operating during the morning peak and 3 during the evening peak. In the morning peak, 2 of these services operate clockwise and the other operates anti-clockwise and in the evening peak all 3 services operate anti-clockwise. Current service patterns combine to give 3 trains per hour between Glasgow Central and

Mount Florida Mount Florida () is an area in the south-east of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Origins The Glasgow district of Mount Florida originated on the "Lands of Mount Floridon", which were described in detail when offered for sale at auction on 21 ...

and just 1 train per hour between Glasgow Central and

Langside Langside is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde, and lies east of Shawlands, south of Queens Park, west of Cathcart and north of Newlands. The district is residential and primarily middle-clas ...

. In addition to the regular off-peak service patterns, the branch to

also receives an express service once per day during peak hours. In the morning peak, the 08:08 service will depart

and call at all stops until

Muirend Muirend is an area on the South side of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated about 4 miles (6.5 km) south of Glasgow city centre. Muirend became extensively urbanised in the 20th century, developing into a commuter suburb. In a 2014 Royal Ma ...

, from here the service will operate non-stop to Glasgow Central. In terms of rolling stock, the line now sees service from the Class 318, Class 320 and Class 380. The Class 380 is most often seen on the line outside of the peak, whilst the Class 320 and 318 units are usually found in the peak and tend to double up to form 6 car consists due to the higher demand at these times.

Rolling stock

Upon electrification in 1962, Class 303s. Following electrification of the

Inverclyde Line The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley (Gilmour Street) and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it conn ...

in 1967, Class 311 units were also used. Following the introduction of the Class 318 in 1986, they made occasional trips onto the Circle. The Class 311 were withdrawn in 1990, and following the introduction of the the Class 303 were withdrawn in 2002 and a major redeployment of the fleet took place, resulting in the Class 314s taking over the line, supplemented occasionally by Classes 318 and 334. In 2014 Class 314s primarily operated the Circle (including

services). During peak hours Class 380s were also used on the Circle route only. From December 2016, Class 320s were introduced to the line, working the Circle and Newton via Maxwell Park routes to permit an increase in Class 314 workings on the

. This was due to a number of Class 380s being reserved for driver training on the newly electrified Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk High route. From the December 2018 timetable change, Class 380s began operating most Neilston services, along with some Circle and Newton services. During 2019 the withdrawal of Class 314s from the ScotRail network took place and as of 2024 a mixture of Class 318s, 320s and

380s The 380s decade ran from January 1, 380, to December 31, 389. Significant people References {{Reflist ...

operate the lines.

Future

Light rail conversion

There have also been proposals to convert the lines to a

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

line, but never beyond the initial suggestion stage. Most recently, in December 2008

Transport Scotland Transport Scotland () is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an executive agency of the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland, an execut ...

's Strategic Transport Projects Review suggested an upgrade of the Circle to light rail as part of a wider light rail network for Glasgow, incorporating both new lines and re-purposed older alignments. If taken forward, this proposal was supposed to have been implemented during the period 2012 - 2022, in line with the scope of the strategic review.

Glasgow Metro

The Cathcart Circle has been identified as one of the heavy rail lines that would be converted to metro as part of the proposals for the Glasgow Metro project. No timescale or budget has been released so far, but it is anticipated that it would be one of the first metro lines given that most of the infrastructure is already in place.

Balgray Station

A new station on the Neilston line, Balgray railway station, has been proposed by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...

with construction due to commence in 2025.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

Origins and History of Cathcart Circle railway line
{{Railway lines in Scotland Transport in Glasgow Transport in East Renfrewshire Railway lines in Scotland Standard gauge railways in Scotland Railway lines opened in 1886 Pollokshields Govanhill and Crosshill