Charing Cross railway station (Scotland)

Not to be confused with the Charing Cross railway station in London.

Charing Cross (Glasgow) is a railway station close to the centre of Glasgow, Scotland, serving the district of the same name. It is managed by ScotRail and is served by trains on the North Clyde Line.

Charing Cross (Glasgow)
The far end of the eastbound platform, facing west. To the right are stairs leading to the ticket office and street level.
General information
Location	Glasgow, Glasgow Scotland
Coordinates	55.8647°N 4.2700°W / 55.8647; -4.2700
Grid reference	NS580658
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	ScotRail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	CHC
Key dates
15 March 1886	Opened
1970	Rebuilt
Passengers
2018/19	2.229 million
2019/20	2.150 million
2020/21	0.363 million
2021/22	0.918 million
2022/23	1.310 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

Dating from 1886, it was originally part of the Glasgow City and District Railway, the first underground railway in Scotland. The station was built using the cut and cover method, with the original walls being visible on the open air section at the western end of the platforms. Nearby points of interest include Sauchiehall Street and the Mitchell Library, and the station (along with nearby Anderston - a stop on the Argyle Line), serves the city's financial district, making this station popular with commuters.

The original surface buildings of the station were demolished in the late 1960s during the construction of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road, and replaced by the current structure as part of the adjoining Elmbank Gardens office complex in 1970 - the building was designed by the Richard Seifert & Partners. In 1995 it received a minor refurbishment when lifts were provided down to platform level. The present station contains a staffed ticket office.

Under the Charing Cross Masterplan for the area unveiled by Glasgow City Council and the owner of Elmbank Gardens - London and Scottish Property Investments (L&SPI),^[1] the current surface buildings will be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new development which will see most of the surrounding 1970s-era office blocks demolished and the site redeveloped with new offices and student accommodation.

Automatic ticket gates have now been installed and came into operation on 3 June 2011.^{[citation needed]}

Services

The service pattern, Mondays-Saturdays Daytime, is as following:^[2]

• 2tph Edinburgh to Milngavie
• 2tph Edinburgh to Helensburgh Central, semi-fast
• 2tph Airdrie to Balloch via Singer
• 2tph Cumbernauld to Dumbarton Central via Yoker
• 2tph Milngavie to Edinburgh, express
• 2tph Dumbarton Central to Cumbernauld
• 2tph Balloch to Airdrie
• 2tph Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh Waverley

Sunday service is:

• 2tph Edinburgh to Helensburgh Central
• 1tph Cumbernauld to Partick
• 2tph Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh
• 1tph Partick to Cumbernauld

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Glasgow Queen Street		ScotRail North Clyde Line		Partick
	Historical railways
Glasgow Queen Street Line and Station open		Glasgow City and District Railway North British Railway		Finnieston Line open; Station closed

References

1. "CONSULTATION Starts On £250million 'Charing Cross Gateway' Transformation". reGlasgow. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
2. Table 226 National Rail timetable, May 2016

Bibliography

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.