Cambuslang railway station

Cambuslang railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is 5 miles (8 km)^[2] south east of Glasgow Central, and is physically located on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) although main line services do not stop here - it is served by local stopping services as part of the Argyle Line to and from Glasgow Central (both Low & High Level). Passenger services are provided by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

Cambuslang Scottish Gaelic: Camas Lang[1]
Cambuslang railway station, looking north towards Rutherglen and Glasgow Central in 2014.
General information
Location	Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire Scotland
Coordinates	55.8195°N 4.1731°W / 55.8195; -4.1731
Grid reference	NS639606
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	CBL
Key dates
1 June 1849	Station opened
Passengers
2019/20	0.769 million
Interchange	60,639
2020/21	0.166 million
Interchange	7,650
2021/22	0.443 million
Interchange	25,888
2022/23	0.629 million
Interchange	31,582
2023/24	0.767 million
Interchange	42,517
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was planned as part of the Clydesdale Junction Railway, opening on 1 June 1849 between Motherwell and Rutherglen along what had become part of the Caledonian Main Line which eventually became absorbed into the WCML route to London. In 1974, the WCML electrification was completed by British Rail allowing local stopping services through the station on the Hamilton Circle and Lanark routes to be operated by electric trains using BR Class 303 and 311 "Blue Trains".

The station originally had two large station buildings on each platform,^[3][4] leading directly up to the Main Street; these were later demolished, and one building has been built on the street containing the ticket office and timetable posters.

Geography

The platforms of Cambuslang station are located in a cutting between North Avenue and Cambuslang Main Street (the A724, at its junction with the southern end of the short A763). The station falls within the G72 postcode area;^[5] the main entrance is on Main Street. There is also a secondary (non-wheelchair accessible) entrance from North Avenue.^[6] The station is approximately 5 minutes' walk from the nearby Morrisons supermarket. There are SPT bus stances directly outside on Main Street, served by First Bus and Henderson Travel services towards Rutherglen, Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station and to Parkhead Forge, and towards Halfway, Blantyre and Hamilton in the opposite direction. In 2021, a 256-space Park and Ride facility was opened on Bridge Street, about 2 to 3 minutes' walking distance to the north.^[7]

Operations

Platform 1 – Westbound

Westbound services travel towards Glasgow Central. Shotts Line services terminate at the High Level platforms, as did the Hamilton Circle services prior to the opening of the Argyle Line in November 1979. From November 1979, British Rail electric services proceeded through the Low Level platforms, to the North Clyde Line, terminating at Milngavie, Dalmuir (via Yoker or Singer). When the Argyle Line first opened in 1979, trains also terminated at Dumbarton Central.

A further recast of the timetable in December 2014 means that services from Lanark now run to High Level and passengers from this direction wishing to reach Argyle Line destinations must change trains here. Services on the Argyle Line now run to Dalmuir via Yoker and to Milngavie.^[8]

Platform 2 – Eastbound

Eastbound services travel from Glasgow Central. Trains on the Shotts Line proceed through to Edinburgh Waverley, but only call during the peaks and late evenings. Electric trains travel round the Hamilton Circle in an anti-clockwise direction to Motherwell/Cumbernauld or Larkhall and to Lanark (express; via Bellshill and Shieldmuir).

Services

1979 service patterns

Eastbound 2 tph from Dalmuir to Motherwell via Hamilton 1 tph from Dumbarton Central to Motherwell via Hamilton 2 tph from Dalmuir to Motherwell via Bellshill 1 tph from Dumbarton Central to Motherwell via Bellshill 1 tph from Milngavie to Lanark (express service between Glasgow Central and Motherwell)

Westbound 2 tph from Motherwell via Hamilton to Dalmuir 1 tph from Motherwell via Hamilton to Dumbarton Central 2 tph from Motherwell via Bellshill to Dalmuir 1 tph from Motherwell via Bellshill to Dumbarton Central 1 tph from Lanark to Milngavie (express service between Motherwell and Glasgow Central)

Current service patterns

Eastbound 2tph to Larkhall via Hamilton 2tph to Motherwell via Hamilton, with an hourly extension to Cumbernauld (except Sundays) 2tph to Lanark via Bellshill & Motherwell (hourly only to Lanark on Sundays) There are peak services to Shotts and onwards to Edinburgh that call here

Westbound 2tph to Dalmuir via Yoker 2tph to Glasgow Central High Level 2tph to Milngavie There are peak services from Shotts and Edinburgh that call here.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Uddingston		ScotRail Shotts Line (limited service)		Glasgow Central
	Historical railways
Newton Line and station open		Caledonian Railway Clydesdale Junction Railway		Rutherglen Line and station open

Station facilities

Cambuslang is covered by CCTV and is completely accessible by wheelchair from the Main Street entrance. Timetables are posted on the footbridge and staff are on hand to assist passengers; real-time service information is provided by passenger information screens on the platforms. The footbridge is at street-level, and its metal sides rise to above average head-height, rendering the railway tracks invisible to anyone crossing. Access from the footbridge to platforms is via broad ramps. A ticket vending machine and new waiting shelters were recently installed on the westbound platform.

References

Notes

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. Quail (1993)
3. Gordondinne.com > station pictures > Cambuslang > 1
4. Gordondinne.com > station pictures > Cambuslang > 2
5. ScotRail Station Facilities
6. Google Maps search for Cambuslang Main Street/North Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland
7. New Cambuslang park and ride, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, 30 July 2021
8. GB NRT May 2016, Tables 225 & 226

Sources

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
• 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.
• Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). British Rail Track Diagrams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0948-6.
• Yonge, John (February 1993). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (2nd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0995-8.
• Yonge, John (April 1996). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (3rd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 1-8983-1919-7.
• Yonge, John (2007). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams - Book 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (Quail Track Plans) (fifth ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps (formerly Quail Map Co). ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6. OCLC 79435248.

External links

• ScotRail: Official Website
• SPT: Official Website