Glasgow South Western Line
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The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride
History
The line was built by the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway which amalgamated to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850. Until 1923 the line via Dumfries was in competition with the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as one of the mainlines into Scotland. With the passing of the Railways Act 1921 (Grouping Act) the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).In 1948, with nationalisation the line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways. During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s many of the railways branch lines were closed, including the direct route between Dumfries and Stranraer via Galloway leaving the present Y shaped railway.
Following privatisation passenger services upon the line were taken over by ScotRail and are now operated by First ScotRail. The Dumfries route is now one of only three railway lines between the Scottish border and lowland areas alongside the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line. Along with the Settle-Carlisle Railway the line is much used as both a diversionary route, especially during the recent West Coast Main Line modernisation, and for freight.
Between Glasgow Central station and New Cummock & Girvan the line is operated by First ScotRail on behalf of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport. Electric train services are also provided between Glasgow and Troon & Ayr via the Ayrshire Coast Line. Some services continue on from Carlisle to Newcastle, with a daily direct service between Newcastle and Stranraer via Kilmarnock.
Route
The line serves the following places.- East Kilbride branch
- *Thornliebank
- *Giffnock
- *Clarkston
- *Busby
- *Thorntonhall
- *Hairmyres
- *East Kilbride
Trivia
The train chase sequence in the 1996 movie was filmed on the Glasgow South Western line, with the image of a French TGV laid over the top of the footage of a standard British train using CGI.
| Railway lines in Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main lines: | East Coast - West Coast - Ayrshire Coast, Glasgow-Dundee (via Perth) - Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Carstairs) - Glasgow-Edinburgh (via Falkirk) - Edinburgh-Aberdeen - Glasgow South Western - Highland | |
| Glasgow commuter lines: | █ Argyle - █ Ayrshire Coast - █ Cathcart Circle - █ Croy - █ Cumbernauld - █ Inverclyde - █ Maryhill - █ Motherwell-Cumbernauld - █ North Clyde - █ Paisley Canal - █ Shotts - █ South Western - █ Whifflet | |
| Edinburgh commuter lines: | █ Bathgate - █ Crossrail - █ Dunblane - █ Fife Circle - █ North Berwick - █ Shotts | |
| Rural lines: | Aberdeen-Inverness - Far North - Kyle of Lochalsh - West Highland | |
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