Glasgow calls for high speed rail study
May 26 2011
The plans have been drawn up in a bid to leverage £7m in funding from the Scottish Government to investigate possible route alignments for the Glasgow and Edinburgh legs of a speculative high speed rail link connecting the UK’s major cities.
Thus far, detailed plans have been drawn up only so far as Birmingham by the UK government, an anomaly Glasgow is now seeking to address.
At present High Street Station is viewed as the best candidate for such a terminus (with Bellgrove also under consideration), offering existing links to the north and south of the city assuming Crossrail and an integrated Glasgow Cross station are fully implemented.
An extension of the Central Station platform lines out across the Clyde is also being considered but existing congestion at the station is thought to count against it.
Crucially the new line will operate a new fleet of larger gauge trains, stretching to 400m in length, requiring a station concourse of matching extent with two island platforms to manage anticipated growth.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "It's important that we act now so that we're not left behind. As a city, we need to continue to be ambitious in planning ahead and we have always seen high-speed rail as having enormous potential, economically and environmentally.
"It is essential for Glasgow to be plugged into high-speed rail. The risk, if we are not, is that it could give an economic advantage to cities in England.”
Connectivity to the south and south west rail networks would be provided via a reopened Glasgow Cross with travelator link to High Street
The new terminus would be built on a viaduct above the existing High Street Station
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17 Comments
#1 Posted by Hazelkaye on 26 May 2011 at 23:11 PM
CROSSRAIL - a vital missing link in Scotland's rail network!
#2 Posted by Bill Forbes on 27 May 2011 at 01:05 AM
This is one of those pipe dreams that could be achieved, but is there the political will to achieve it?
#3 Posted by John McMaster on 27 May 2011 at 07:29 AM
Finding a site for the station is relatively easy - clearing the ground for approach route is not only more expensive but politically sensitive with house demolitions etc. The route is likely to pass through areas already torn up and rebuilt for Commonwealth Games sites.
#4 Posted by Rob Royston on 27 May 2011 at 11:07 AM
Another terminus station. I can see the benefit for the high speed line, but; Glasgow needs a station that trains pass through North, South, East and West.
#5 Posted by RM on 27 May 2011 at 11:29 AM
Should we not be concentrating on connecting to our international airport!!
#6 Posted by brian on 27 May 2011 at 12:13 PM
So would it use west coast line to south side then join city union line?I understand the old building (crazy house) being turned into a hub for city union line and argyle lines.but a travelator from Glasgow x to high st station is one long travelator! snp can only offer city a bendy bus,so i think it wont happen.crossrail should.
#7 Posted by Andrew Heatlie on 27 May 2011 at 12:32 PM
Glasgow Cross/High Street is the main station to link N, S, E and W, via Crossrail, relieving congestion at Central as well. It is also the ideal site for the High Speed Terminus Station, accessing eastwards with space for sidings etc., clearing the conurbation with minimum house demolition and shortest routing.
#8 Posted by Andrew Heatlie on 27 May 2011 at 12:36 PM
P.S. Ideally placed to serve the international airport by NEWGarl too, of course!
#9 Posted by Rob Royston on 28 May 2011 at 10:30 AM
Looking at Google Maps, if the rail chord was built and High St station built over the triangle it would only be about 1200ft to the proposed Glasgow Cross station, not too far for a travelator. This would mean that there would only need to be a station on the Argyle line at Glasgow Cross with just an escalator up to the travelator.
#10 Posted by Alex on 28 May 2011 at 11:30 AM
Brian - step away from the SNP. Bitter much?
#11 Posted by Brian on 28 May 2011 at 13:27 PM
alex.im not anti snp.i like a lot of what they do.i just dont think fastlink is good enough for Glasgow,Think the exibition centre station should be easier to access than that long 80s tube:)
#12 Posted by E A Blair on 29 May 2011 at 12:02 PM
yeaaaah probably shouldn't have knocked down St Enoch's...
#13 Posted by Ron Mc Lean on 29 May 2011 at 23:19 PM
Lets get the Glasgow airport rail link and the full crossrail projects up and running first,the biggest mistake was shutting and knocking down St Enoch's station all these years ago.
#14 Posted by John McMaster on 30 May 2011 at 17:34 PM
Brian, from the pictures I can't see how the City Union line could be used to connect the station to the WCML - it would need a new route through Calton/ Bridgeton/Dalmarnock. Big Problems!
#15 Posted by Rob Royston on 1 Jun 2011 at 22:04 PM
Ron, St Enoch was, like Central and Queen Street a dead end so it had limited potential as it made no allowance for people wanting to pass through Glasgow, rather than stop there.
High Street has the best rail infrastructure in place for through travel with a Glasgow Cross Upper platform at Molindinar Street and the East West platforms between the junctions. There is room to add extra platforms for terminating trains, in all directions, here as well. I don't think any rail money should be spent at GLA or EDI until this station is operational and the public decide where they want to fly from.
High Street has the best rail infrastructure in place for through travel with a Glasgow Cross Upper platform at Molindinar Street and the East West platforms between the junctions. There is room to add extra platforms for terminating trains, in all directions, here as well. I don't think any rail money should be spent at GLA or EDI until this station is operational and the public decide where they want to fly from.
#16 Posted by RAB on 2 Jun 2011 at 13:53 PM
Queen Street and Central both have through running platforms at low level, it'll probably be no different with Highstreet, they'll probably just plonk the high speed terminus on top of the current station.
#17 Posted by Brian on 7 Jun 2011 at 13:28 PM
If we had the ambition to have a rail link from Glasgow airport using crossrail and onto edin airport.most of the infrastructure is already there.
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