A blueprint for Glasgow’s rail future

In rail terms, Glasgow is a giant. Its population of more than 600,000 — and wider city region population of nearly 2 million — are kept moving by the UK's best suburban rail network outside of London. This includes several lines and countless stations, bolstered by the diminutive but noble little Subway that loops around the west of the city centre. The network is almost fully electrified, with electric trains expected to be running to East Kilbride by the end of next year and the Maryhill line to follow (eventually).

But before we start patting ourselves on the back, we need a reality check: Glasgow’s rail network faces serious problems. Before we look at what they are, and how to fix them, let’s first get a grip on how things look today. 

Most of the lines emanate from Glasgow Central station and face southwards (lines in blue/purple). A smaller number of lines face northwards out of Glasgow Queen Street station (red/pink). There is, notably, no direct rail connection between Central and Queen Street. The east-west network is formed of the North Clyde (yellow) and Argyll (green) lines, and resembles the kind of system you might find in continental Europe or London — with lines fanning out either side of an underground core through the city centre. Overlaid onto this are regional services in all directions and long-distance services towards England along the West Coast Main Line (WCML).

But constraints are already beginning to bite, forcing people with means to choose to drive – and people without not to travel at all. We’ll start with the biggest: Glasgow Central.

Problem 1: The Central squeeze