The Cathcart Circle Lines form a mostly suburban railway route linking Glasgow (Central) to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston, on the south bank of the River Clyde. They are part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network.
History
The lines were built by the Cathcart District Railway (Cathcart Circle) and the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (Newton and Neilston lines). The first part opened on 1 March 1886 as a double line from Glasgow Central to then single to Cathcart, doubled on 26 May 1886. The circular route back to Central station via Shawlands and Maxwell Park was completed on 2 April 1894.
The Newton and Neilston branches were built to provide a through route from the Lanarkshire coalfields to ports such as Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast. There is still a junction with other lines at Newton, but the track beyond Neilston has been lifted.
The lines originally carried significant amounts of freight, but commuter trains are the only regular users now. Football Specials sometimes run to Mount Florida and for major matches at Hampden Park.
When the lines were built much of the land around them was open countryside. The existence of a commuter railway was a major factor in the development of Glasgow's southern suburbs, although until electrification in 1962 there was virtually no passenger service beyond Kirkhill by this route.
On weekdays the services have provided a vital transport link for school pupils and college students at nearby schools and higher education establishments, contributing to passenger numbers on top of the commuter traffic.
The lines under British Railways were electrified on Monday 28 May 1962 at the standard 25 kV AC, but originally 6.25 kV between and Mount Florida because of limited clearances. The "Blue Trains", units, which had dual voltage capability, replaced steam trains and early diesel units.
There was a trial run on the previous day, with over 5,500 passengers reported as using the new trains in their first morning rush hour.
Most of the track consists of Jointed Rail
Constituent lines
The lines comprise the following lines:
Cathcart Circle
Built by the Cathcart District Railway.
Newton Line
Built by the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway. Diverges from the Circle via a dive under junction south of and at Cathcart South Junction (south of ). The link at Cathcart South junction was put in place during electrification.
Neilston Line
Built by the L&AR. Diverges from the Circle at .
Passenger services
Following electrification in 1962
Round the west side of the Circle onto the L&AR lines eastbound, terminating at . East side services ran to Newton, with many extended to via the Clydesdale Junction Railway.
The basic service every 30 minutes was Glasgow Central to Neilston via Mount Florida; Central to Motherwell via Mount Florida; Glasgow Central to Kirkhill via Maxwell Park; and Cathcart Circle (Inner and Outer).
West Coast Main Line electrification 1974
This included the Hamilton Circle and resulted in east side services terminating at Newton. Peak services from east and west sides operated to Motherwell via Blantyre and Hamilton.
Argyle Line opening in 1979
The major change being the extension of west side services from Kirkhill to Newton.
Until May 1984 there were four trains an hour on the Newton branch (two via Maxwell Park and two via Queen's Park) and two trains an hour in each direction around the Circle, in addition to the services on the Neilston branch. From May 1984, both the Newton and Neilston services remained 2 per hour, none turned back at Kirkhill and only one ran the full circle each way.
2006/07
Services were operated by First ScotRail, with most services using electric multiple units, although Class 318s and Class 334s (Juniper units) made occasional appearances on the line.
2014
The basic service (Monday to Sunday) is every 30 minutes from Glasgow Central to Neilston via Mount Florida and every hour from Glasgow Central to Newton via Mount Florida, Glasgow Central to Newton via Maxwell Park and the inner and outer Circle service (does not operate on Sundays).
This frequency gives a 30-minute service on the west side of the Circle, Neilston and Newton branches, three trains per hour at Cathcart and four trains per hour between Glasgow Central and Mount Florida. These service levels are less than those of the 1960s.