Cowlairs Tunnel
Location type
TunnelName and dates
Cowlairs Tunnel (1842-)Where: Glasgow City, Scotland
Opened on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
Description
Cowlairs Tunnel (also known as Queen Street High Level Tunnel) runs north from Glasgow Queen Street High Level half way up the Cowlairs Incline to Pinkston. It is a double track tunnel 999 yds long.
The floor of the tunnel was lowered in 2016 to allow electrification of Queen Street and the lines to Edinburgh Waverley, Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa.
The tunnel was required due to the Forth and Clyde Canal insisting the line pass under rather than over the canal. (See Cowlairs Incline.)
There have been several tunnel roof collapses over the years, such as one in 1879 which closed the tunnel to traffic.
There are two airshafts, both of which are now covered.
Cowlairs Tunnel signal box closed in 1924.
Tags
TunnelAliases
Queen Street High Level Tunnel
Chronology Dates
| / /1888 | Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Improvement to Glasgow Queen Street High Level station complete. The tunnel mouth at the foot of the Cowlairs Tunnel was opened out in preparation for the opening of a second (eastern) bore, and although the portal was built the tunnel was not. |
News items
| 01/08/2016 | Video: Glasgow Queen Street [Rail Engineer] |
