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| Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 An 8-carClass 385 set (comprising two Class 385/1s) at Edinburgh Waverley with a ScotRail Express service to Glasgow Queen Street | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||
| Locale | Scotland | ||
| Termini |
| ||
| Stations | 9 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System | National Rail | ||
| Operator(s) | ScotRail | ||
| Rolling stock | Class 385 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge | ||
| Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz AC | ||
| |||
TheGlasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line is a mainlinerailway line linkingGlasgow andEdinburgh viaFalkirk inScotland. It is the principal route out of the fourrail links between Scotland's two biggest cities,[1] hosting the flagship "ScotRail Express" service betweenGlasgow Queen Street andEdinburgh Waverley.[2][3]
The route has historic significance as it was Scotland's first inter-city railway, opening on 2 February 1842 as theEdinburgh and Glasgow Railway.[4] It later became a key constituent of theNorth British Railway.[5]
The line was electrified in the 2010s. It was anticipated that electricClass 380 trains would start running from May 2017, followed by newClass 385 trains from September 2017. However, delays to the electrification project mean the 380s did not run until December 2017 and the 385s did not run until July 2018.
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Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line |
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The route serves the following places (Ordnance Surveygrid references for stations):
| Places | Grid references |
| Glasgow | NS592655 |
| Lenzie | NS655719 |
| Croy | NS729755 |
| Falkirk | NS882790 |
| Polmont | NS930781 |
| Linlithgow | NT005770 |
| Haymarket | NT239731 |
| Edinburgh | NT257738 |
Passenger services are operated byScotRail. The line iselectrified. The timetable for services betweenGlasgow Queen Street andEdinburgh Waverley sees a train every 15 minutes in the peak, and every 30 minutes in the off-peak.
All off-peak trains call at Glasgow Queen Street,Croy,Falkirk High,Polmont,Linlithgow,Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley. In the peak, there are still two trains per hour operating the above service pattern, whilst the additional two trains per hour call at Glasgow Queen Street,Bishopbriggs,Lenzie, Falkirk High, Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley. These peak-only services do not call at Croy, Polmont or Linlithgow.
In addition to the Express branded services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley, several other services operate across the line. There are a total of four trains per hour between Croy and Glasgow Queen Street, and four trains per hour between Edinburgh Waverley and Polmont. These additional journeys are provided byAlloa to Glasgow Queen Street andDunblane to Edinburgh Waverley commuter services.[6] The latter of these services makes an additional call atEdinburgh Park, providing another connection to theEdinburgh Trams and a direct link toEdinburgh Airport. There are also several ScotRail intercity and regional services which operate non-stop across portions of the line towardsDundee,Aberdeen andInverness.LNER also operates two trains per day in each direction across the line from bothStirling and Inverness towardsLondon Kings Cross.
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As part of a review by theBritish Transport Commission report in 1952, the services were provided by the 1956 batch ofClass 126 DMU, entering service in 1957.
In 1971, the stock provided changed to locomotives fitted for Blue Starmultiple working. Initially a mixture ofClass 25,Class 27 andClass 37 at each end of a rake ofMark 2 carriages through wired and piped to provide 90 mph (145 km/h) "push-pull" working. This very quickly settled down to a dedicated pool of Class 27 locomotives.
In 1980, the push-pull sets were replaced by singleClass 47/7s at one end of a rake ofMark 3 carriages and aDBSO operating withTDM system. Also during this period,InterCity provided through services from Glasgow Queen Street toLondon King's Cross and variousWest Country destinations, resulting in the use ofInterCity 125s on the route.
At this time, the service operated on a half-hourly frequency with all trains stopping at Haymarket and Falkirk High, with alternate trains stopping at Polmont and Linlithgow. Some peak hour trains stopped at Bishopbriggs, Lenzie and Croy. Sunday trains servedFalkirk Grahamston.
In 1984 thePolmont rail accident, where a train hit a cow on the track (part of the cow's leg was trapped in the bogie of the train, lifting it off the track) resulted in 13 deaths and 61 injuries. It led to a debate about the safety ofpush-pull trains.[7]
In the late 1980s with the electrification of theGreat Eastern Main Line byBritish Rail, the DBSO set-up was planned for replacement withClass 158 in four and six car formations, however due to delays in deliveries and the need to release the stock for the Great Eastern Main Line,Class 156 were used for a short period, prior to being put into use on theFar North Line.
Delivery of theClass 170s since 1999 has displaced the Class 158s for other duties, including the Far North Line. Other motive power can be seen as a result of operational considerations including Classes 156 and 158.
Since electrification of the line in 2017, services have been operated byClass 385s from July 2018. Since October 2018HSTs have been introduced on long-distance services that use parts of the route.
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