Glasgow South Western Line

Glasgow South Western Line
	A coal train from Ayrshire heads towards England
Owerview
Teep	Heavy rail, Rural Rail
Seestem	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Scotland; North West England
Termini	Newcastle; Carlisle; East Kilbride; Glasgow Central; Stranraer
Stations	26
Operation
Awner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Abellio ScotRail
Rowin stock	Class 156 "Super Sprinter"
Technical
Nummer o tracks	Double track and Single line with Passing loops
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Operatin speed	80 mph (129 km/h) maximum

The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railwey in Scotland that runs frae Glesga tae Kilmarnock, and then aither Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranrawer via Ayr, wi a branch tae East Kilbride.

History

1812 - Kilmarnock tae Barassie bi the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway
1839 - Barassie tae Ayr (Falkland Junction) bi the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
1848 - Strathbungo tae Neilston bi the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway
1848 - Kilmarnock tae Cumnock opened bi the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
1848 - Gretna Junction tae Carlisle bi the Caledonian Railway
1850 - Cumnock tae Gretna Junction opened bi the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
1856 - Ayr (Falkland Junction) tae Maybole (Dalrymple) Junction bi the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway
1856 - Maybole (Dalrymple) Junction tae Maybole bi the Ayr and Maybole Junction Railway
1860 - Maybole tae Girvan bi the Maybole and Girvan Railway
1861 - Challoch tae Stranraer bi the Portpatrick Railway
1866 - Busby Junction (near Pollowshaws West) tae Busby bi the Busby Railway
1868 - Busby tae East Kilbride bi the Caledonian Railway (East Kilbride Line)
1871 - Neilston tae Kilmarnock opened bi Glasgow and Kilmarnock Jynt Railway, a jynt undertaking bi the Caledonian Railway an the Glasgow and South Western Railway
1877 - Girvan tae Challoch Junction bi the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway

Mergers

The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway an the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway amalgamated tae form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850.

The Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and Glasgow and Kilmarnock Jynt Railway war amalgamated tae form the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Jynt Railway jointly operated bi the Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway.

The lines forming the East Kilbride branch war operated bi the Caledonian Railway.

Until 1923 the line via Dumfries wis in competeetion wi the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as ane o the mainlines intae Scotland. Wi the passing o the Railways Act 1921 (Grouping Act) the line became pairt o the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

Naitionalisation

In 1948, wi naitionalisation the line became pairt o the Scottish Region o British Railways. During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s mony o the railwey's branch lines war closed, includin the direct route atween Dumfries and Stranrawer, via Gallowa on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Jynt Railway and Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, leaving the present 'Y' shaped railway. The umwhile G&SWR terminus at Glesga St Enoch railwey station wis an aa closed in this period (in 1966), wi aw services rerouted intae Glesga Central.

During the electrification o the West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s bi British Rail, the line wis uised as a major diversionary route whilst the Caledonian Railway's Annandale/Clydesdale route wis closed, parteecularly during the weekends. Follaein completion o this project, the sections o line atween Barrhead and Kilmarnock (wi a crossing loop at Lugton) and Annan and Gretna (controlled frae Carlisle) war singled.

Recent history

Re-doubling o the Annan tae Gretna section wis completit in August 2008, controlled frae Dumfries Station signal box. The line is nae electrified, wi the exception o pairts o the line aroond the approaches tae Glasgow Central an the section o the line (Barassie tae Ayr) shared wi the Ayrshire Coast Line (Ayr tae Glasgow via Kilwinning). In early 2009, work commenced tae re-double the line atween Lugton and Stewarton based on the 2008 plans published bi Network Rail. Completed in September 2009, this allows ScotRail tae run a hauf-hourly service tae Kilmarnock. The route is operated bi British Rail Class 156 units.