Rutherglen
Location type
StationName and dates
Rutherglen (1979-)Station code: RUT National Rail ScotRail
Where: South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Opened on the Dalmarnock Branch (Caledonian Railway).
Open on the Glasgow to Larkhall.
Open on the Hamilton Circle.
Description
This is an island platform station. It opened with the Argyle Line (the re-opened Glasgow Central Railway) in 1979 and the remaining part of Rutherglen [3rd] on the main line closed. The station is overshadowed by the M74 Motorway extension. which passes overhead. Entry is by one of two footbridges, one from just off Farmeloan Road (to the east) and another from Victoria Street (to the south).
Rutherglen CE Depot and Rutherglen Training School were located north of the station on the west side and Bridgeton Bank Yard is on the east side.
At its height Rutherglen was a large station built around a triangular junction. It has a complicated history.
Rutherglen [1st] ~1842-1879
The original station was a small two platform station west of Farme Loan Road located just north of Rutherglen itself.
Rutherglen [2nd] 1879-1892/97
The station closed and a new four platform (two islands) station opened to the east of Dalmarnock Junction and Farme Loan Road. This was with the quadrupling of the main line and the opening of London Road [Glasgow] to passengers.
Rutherglen [3rd]
A new station opened to the west when the London Road [Glasgow] branch passenger service to Glasgow Central began in 1892. This station had two sets of platforms
A) 1892-1964
two platforms on a new west to north curve
B) 1892-1979
four platforms on the west to east mainline just to the south of A (and a little west of Rutherglen [1st]). These platforms would replace Rutherglen [2nd]. (Note a fifth was later added.)
Rutherglen [4th]
This was an expansion of Rutherglen [3rd] built for the opening of the Glasgow Central Railway.
C) 1896 - 1964
three terminal platforms were built in the triangle of line, approached from the north
D) 1896 - 1964
two platforms were built on the north to east curve
E) 1896 - 1964
an extra platform was added to B (the west to west main line platforms) on the north side of the slow eastbound line - this single line was served by two platforms. The new platform was built to facilitate interchange between the terminal platforms and main line.
Thus, at its height, 1896-1964, this was a twelve platform station:
A) two platforms on west to north
C) three bay platforms in triangle
D) two platforms on north to east
B) and E) five platforms on main line
Today's station is approximately on the site of D.
(There has been some realignment here. The platform is actually on the site of the north to eastbound platform with today's northbound line being where the eastbound line was located and today's eastbound line being on the site of the the northbound track of the original course of the goods only line to Bridgeton Bank Yard.)
Tags
Station junction terminus island platformExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map
11/08/2019
Chronology Dates
| / /1830 | Polloc and Govan Railway Act receives Royal assent for a line from near Rutherglen to the River Clyde with a branch to the Port Eglinton Basin. |
| / /1831 | Polloc and Govan Railway Authorisation to extend east to Rutherglen. |
| / /1842 | Polloc and Govan Railway Rutherglen to Windmillcroft Quay opened to goods. (Opened to passengers at unknown date.) |
| 25/09/1865 | Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) Rutherglen to Coatbridge opened to goods. Whifflet branch also opened. (Alternative date 20/09/1865.) |
| 08/01/1866 | Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) Rutherglen to Coatbridge opened to passengers. Whifflet Branch also opened to passengers. |
| 01/04/1879 | Dalmarnock Branch Extension (Caledonian Railway) London Road [Glasgow] opened for passengers. Stations at; Rutherglen, Bridgeton [1st] and London Road [Glasgow]. |
| 01/11/1895 | Glasgow Central Railway Rutherglen to Glasgow Cross opened to passengers. Dalmarnock, Glasgow Green and Glasgow Cross stations opened. |
| / /1907 | Caledonian Railway Rutherglen Burrowing Line authorised. There was considerable expenditure on line widening in the whole area. Interestingly by 1911 expenditure of £12,053 is shown against 'Rutherglen Burrowing' (in investors reports). The Caledonian was to be given extra time for construction in 1915. That being during the Great War the planned works were probably abandoned and no fly-under junction was built at Rutherglen. |
| 05/10/1964 | Glasgow Central Railway Partick Central to Rutherglen closed to passengers. Partick West, Glasgow Central Low Level, Glasgow Cross, Bridgeton Cross [CR], Dalmarnock and Rutherglen closed. Bridgeton Cross [CR] to Carmyle to Newton closed to passengers. Bridgeton Cross [CR], Parkhead Stadium, Tollcross and Carmyle closed. Partick Central (excluded) to Strathclyde Junction (excluded) closed to all traffic. Bridgeton Cross [CR] to Tollcross (excluded) closed to all traffic. (The Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway also closed to passengers.) |
| 07/01/1966 | Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) Coatbridge Central to Rutherglen closed to passengers. |
| 05/11/1979 | Glasgow Central Railway The Argyle Line; Stobcross to Strathclyde Junction and Rutherglen Junction re-opened to passengers. Stations at; Finnieston [2nd], Anderston, Glasgow Central Low Level, Argyle Street, Dalmarnock and Rutherglen. |
| 11/12/1994 | Glasgow Central Railway The River Kelvin bursts its banks and floods the disused tunnels from Kelvin Bridge to Stobcross, where it floods the open Argyle Line railway. (Alternative date 9th.) The route through Glasgow Central Low Level is closed between Partick and Rutherglen and trains are diverted onto the Sunnyside Junction to Whifflet section of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway for access to Motherwell. This remains in operation for around nine months. Units 314208 and 314212 are trapped in the floodwater at Glasgow Central where the water reached half way up the sides of the carriages. |
