Carluke railway station is a railway station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) that serves the town of Carluke, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is predominantly served by Argyle Line commuter trains running between Lanark and Glasgow Central. The station lies at the western edge of the town, and enjoys panoramic views of the Clyde Valley and beyond to the hills of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
History
The first station to be named Carluke was a separate station near Bogside Farm. This station was opened as Carluke and Lanark on 8 May 1843 by the Wishaw and Coltness Railway. It had several sidings and a line that served Coltness Iron Works. The station's name was changed to Stirling Road in 1848. It closed in 1853. The current station opened as part of the Caledonian Railway Main Line extension from Beattock on 15 February 1848. It was rebuilt by the Caledonian Railway around the start of the 20th century,. It passed to the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) upon its formation on 1 January 1923 under the terms of the Railways Act 1921 until the nationalisation of the "Big Four" on 1 January 1948 and the resultant creation of British Railways. Thereafter, control of the station, in common with all of those on the WCML north of Gretna, became the responsibility of BR's Scottish Region until the formation of the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE) on 1 June 1973. Under the terms of the Transport Act 1968, the specification of timetables, fares and quality standards for all rail services within the erstwhile Strathclyde region became the responsibility of the PTE, with trains and stations receiving their distinctive corporate colour scheme from 1985. However, in November 2005, these powers were transferred to the Scottish Executive and were subsequently passed to Transport Scotland upon its creation on 1 January 2006. Consequently, both the station and the rail services which call thereat are today operated by ScotRail.
Facilities
The station currently has two platforms connected by a stairway footbridge. Step-free access is available to both platforms, and a ramp is available for wheelchair users wishing to board or alight at the station. However, prior notice is required to ensure staff are on hand to assist.
The station building is located on Platform 2 and has level access from both the station car park and the platform itself. Inside is found a small heated waiting area and a ticket office which is staffed part-time (Monday-Friday 06:30-13:44, Saturday 06:20-13:44). There is also a self-service ticket machine located on Platform 1. Customer Help Points fitted with an induction loop are located on both platforms, and there are numerous CCTV cameras covering all areas of the station; cameras and Help Points are linked to the Strathclyde Customer Services Centre in Paisley, which is staffed 24-hours a day. Both platforms are also fitted with a public address system and LCD customer information screens.
The station's own car park is limited to 25 spaces. However, with passenger numbers showing sustained growth since privatisation, plans for an extensive Park and Ride facility on a 1.9 hectare greenfield site next to Platform 1 were finalised in September 2009. Opened on 18 May 2010, this £2 million facility provided an additional 229 vehicle spaces (including 6 for Blue Badge holders), a drop-off area and shelter, new lighting, an improved road surface and improved traffic management along Station Road to its intersection with the A73. Additionally, the station's CCTV network was extended with the provision of several new cameras to cover the new facilities, and improved signage was erected on both the A73 and the A721. Funding for the work came from South Lanarkshire Council and SPT, with both parties contributing £1 million towards the cost of the project.
Services
Historically
For many years under BR, Carluke was served by an hourly service from Lanark to Glasgow Central (High Level) (Sundays excepted), operating alternately via Wishaw, Holytown, Motherwell and Hamilton Central or by the more direct route via Wishaw, Motherwell, Bellshill and Uddingston.