This is an underground island platform station with two faces.
The important Glasgow Central terminus is above street level above the station and there is a lift and escalators between the stations.
The station runs out west from under the high level station almost as far as West Campbell Street below Argyle Street.
This was originally a two island platform station with four platform faces, there was also on the north side a siding, serving a terminal two faced platform served from the east. The terminal platform and northern part of the northern island platform were exposed to the sky, the rest was covered below Argyle Street. Despite this it was a smokey station in steam days.
There were two signal boxes. Both boxes opened with the line in 1896. The east box closed in 1935, taken over by the west box. This in turn closed in 1956 during resignalling.
With re-opening in 1979 only one of the two islands closed in 1964 was brought back into use (the southern). The other remains out of use and may become part of the popular Glasgow Central station tours.
The station was damaged by the floods of 1994 when water from the River Kelvin at Kelvinbridge down the disused Yorkhill Tunnel to Exhibition Centre, Anderston and Glasgow Central Low Level stations. A train at the station, unit 314212, was almost submerged. Trains were diverted via Sunnyside Junction during the repairs.
Tours of the seldom seen parts of the station are available Glasgow Central Station Tours .