The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2017)

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Glasgow South Western Line
A train from Girvan heading towards Maybole on the Glasgow South Western Line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Scotland North West England
Termini	Glasgow Central Barrhead Kilmarnock Dumfries Carlisle Stranraer East Kilbride Newcastle Upon Tyne
Stations	26
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Rural Rail[1]
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	ScotRail
Rolling stock	Class 156 "Super Sprinter" Class 380 “Desiro” (Glasgow to Barrhead only)
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track from Glasgow Central to Barrhead and Crosby, Lugton to Stewarton, Kilmarnock to Carlisle and Troon to Dalrymple Junction, Single line with Passing loops from Crosby to East Kilbride, Barrhead to Lugton, Stewarton to Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock to Troon and Dalrymple Junction to Stranraer.
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Operating speed	80 mph (129 km/h) maximum[1]
Route map (Click to expand) Show geographical map Legend Glasgow Central ( St Enoch) Glasgow Central (Low Level) Glasgow Central Railway River Clyde Glasgow Bridge Street Glasgow Subway Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Bridge Street Junction City Union Line Eglinton Junction Eglinton Street to West Coast Main Line Polloc & Govan Rly section Polloc and Govan Railway Pollokshields East General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway Cathcart District Railway Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway Strathbungo Crossmyloof River Cart Pollokshaws West Busby Junction Kennishead Thornliebank Priesthill & Darnley Thornliebank Goods Nitshill Giffnock to Potterhill Cathcart Circle Lines to Paisley Clarkston to Patterton Barrhead Barrhead Central Neilston Low Busby Uplawmoor Busby Print Works Lugton Thorntonhall Dunlop Hairmyres Stewarton East Kilbride Kilmaurs to Hunthill Junction Kilmarnock West Junction Kilmarnock Joint Goods to Crosshouse Kilmarnock Central Junction Kilmarnock East Junction Kilmarnock Goods Kilmarnock (original) Kilmarnock Kay Park Junction Riccarton and Craigie Hurlford Darvel Branch Gatehead to Darvel Branch Drybridge Ayr to Mauchline Branch Ayrshire Coast Line Mauchline Barassie Mauchline Junction Barassie Junction Catrine Troon Harbour Auchinleck Troon Goods Auchinleck Junction P&O Ferries to Larne Troon│(old) Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway Lochgreen Junction Cumnock (original) Monkton Old Cumnock Junction to Annbank Ayr to Mauchline Branch Prestwick International Airport New Cumnock Prestwick Town Kirkconnel Newton-on-Ayr Ayr to Mauchline Branch Newton Junction Sanquhar Hawkhill Junction Carronbridge bus link to Cairnryan Harbour Ayr Thornhill Alloway Junction Closeburn Maidens and Dunure Railway Holywood Maybole Junction Cairn Valley Railway Dalrymple Junction Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway to Dalmellington Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Railway Dalrymple Dumfries Cassillis Dumfries Goods Maybole (old) Racks Maybole Ruthwell Kilkerran Cummertrees Dailly Annan Killochan Solway Junction Railway Grangeston Halt Dornock Maidens and Dunure Railway Rigg Girvan (old) Gretna Green Girvan West Coast Main Line Caledonian Main Line section Pinmore Gretna Junction Pinwherry Scotland England Barrhill Gretna Caledonian│Border Union Glenwhilly New Luce Waverley Route Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway Carlisle Challoch Junction West Coast Main Line Dunragit Castle Kennedy Cairnryan Military Railway to Portpatrick bus to Cairnryan for Belfast ferry Stranraer Show route diagram

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The line was built by several railway companies during the 19th century:^{[2][page needed]}

• 1812 – Kilmarnock to Barassie by the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway
• 1839 – Barassie to Ayr (Falkland Junction) by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
• 1848 – Strathbungo to Neilston by the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway
• 1848 – Kilmarnock to Cumnock opened by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
• 1848 – Gretna Junction to Carlisle by the Caledonian Railway
• 1850 – Cumnock to Gretna Junction opened by the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
• 1856 – Ayr (Falkland Junction) to Maybole (Dalrymple) Junction by the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway
• 1856 – Maybole (Dalrymple) Junction to Maybole by the Ayr and Maybole Junction Railway
• 1860 – Maybole to Girvan by the Maybole and Girvan Railway
• 1861 – Challoch to Stranraer by the Portpatrick Railway
• 1866 – Busby Junction (near Pollowshaws West) to Busby by the Busby Railway
• 1868 – Busby to East Kilbride by the Caledonian Railway (East Kilbride Line)
• 1871 – Neilston to Kilmarnock opened by Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway, a joint undertaking by the Caledonian Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway
• 1877 – Girvan to Challoch Junction by the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway

The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway amalgamated to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1850.

The Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway were amalgamated to form the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway jointly operated by the Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway.

The lines forming the East Kilbride branch were operated by the Caledonian Railway.

Until 1923 the line via Dumfries was in competition with the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway as one of the mainlines into Scotland. With the passing of the Railways Act 1921 (Grouping Act) the line became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

In 1948, with nationalisation the line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways. During the Beeching Axe in the 1960s many of the railway's branch lines were closed, including the direct route between Dumfries and Stranraer, via Galloway on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway and Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, leaving the present Y-shaped railway. The former G&SWR terminus at Glasgow St Enoch was also closed in this period (in 1966), with all services rerouted into Glasgow Central.

During the electrification of the West Coast Main Line in the early 1970s by British Rail, the line was used as a major diversionary route whilst the Caledonian Railway's Annandale/Clydesdale route was closed, particularly during the weekends. Following completion of this project, the sections of line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock (with a crossing loop at Lugton) and Annan and Gretna (controlled from Carlisle) were singled. Re-doubling of the Annan to Gretna section was completed in August 2008, controlled from Dumfries Station signal box.

In early 2009, work commenced to re-double the line between Lugton and Stewarton based on the 2008 plans published by Network Rail. Completed in September 2009, this allows ScotRail to run a half-hourly service between Glasgow and Kilmarnock.

In December 2023, electrification of the first section of the line between Glasgow Central and Barrhead was completed (services started on 11 December 2023 using Class 380 electric trains^[3]). Further work is currently underway to re-double and electrify the branch line from Thornliebank to East Kilbride.^[4]

With the exception of the electrified section between Glasgow Central and Barrhead, all other services on the line are operated using the British Rail Class 156 diesel trains.

• On 1 August 2015, a ballast train ran into the rear of another ballast train at Cumnock. Both trains were derailed.^[5]

Trains serve the following stations.

• Glasgow Central
• Crossmyloof
• Pollokshaws West

East Kilbride branch

• Thornliebank
• Giffnock
• Clarkston
• Busby
• Thorntonhall
• Hairmyres
• East Kilbride

• Kennishead
• Priesthill & Darnley
• Nitshill
• Barrhead
• Dunlop
• Stewarton
• Kilmaurs
• Kilmarnock

Stranraer line

• Troon
• Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
• Prestwick Town
• Ayr (Coach link to Cairnryan for ferries to Belfast)
• Maybole
• Girvan
• Barrhill
• Stranraer (Bus link to Cairnryan for ferries to Larne Harbour and Belfast)

Glasgow South Western Line

• Auchinleck
• New Cumnock
• Kirkconnel
• Sanquhar
• Dumfries
• Annan
• Gretna Green
• Carlisle

In the latter years of British Rail, operations were sectorised. All Scottish operations (excluding the WCML and ECML services), including this line, became part of the Regional Railways operation – being branded as ScotRail.

Following privatisation, passenger services upon the line were taken over by ScotRail, (part of National Express), and are now operated by ScotRail with the track and signalling being operated (nationally) by Network Rail. Although the Dumfries route is officially one of only three railway lines between England and the Scottish lowland areas, (The others being the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line) the line joins the West Coast Main Line immediately north of the Anglo-Scottish border at Gretna Junction. Along with the Settle-Carlisle Railway, the line is much used as both a diversionary route, especially during the recent West Coast Main Line modernisation, and for freight, notably coal from the several open cast coalmines of the Ayrshire Coalfield that adjoin the line.

Between Glasgow Central, Gretna Green and Girvan the line is operated by ScotRail. Electric train services are also provided between Glasgow and Troon and Ayr via the Ayrshire Coast Line. There are also a number of through services between Glasgow & Stranraer that run direct via Paisley & Kilwinning (others run via Kilmarnock, as do certain trains to/from Girvan^[6]). From the December 2015 timetable change, new Scotrail franchisee Abellio changed the schedule on the Stranraer line—the service frequency to/from Ayr has increased from six trains each way to eight on weekdays (and from three to five on Sundays), but there are now no longer any direct trains to Glasgow via Paisley—all services now run via Kilmarnock.

In the 1970s, most of the intermediate stations between Kilmarnock and Carlisle were closed, leaving only Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Annan. Since then, the stations at New Cumnock, Auchinleck, Sanquhar and Gretna Green have been reopened. There have been several studies recently as to the possibility of reopening Thornhill station, roughly halfway between Dumfries and Sanquhar.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2020, the line has many different service patterns depending on its lines, From Glasgow, There is 2 trains per hour to Kilmarnock(12 of these extend south of Kilmarnock with 11 to Dumfries and 9 of which continue to Carlisle while 1 only goes as far as New Cumnock while 4 (3 on Saturdays) trains per day operate to Stranraer and 1 train per day terminates at Girvan), There is a regular hourly service between Dumfries and Carlisle on Monday to Saturdays, On Sundays, An hourly service operates to Kilmarnock however only 2 trains per day operate south to Dumfries and Carlisle, 5 trains per day also operate between Dumfries and Carlisle on Sundays on a roughly 2 hourly service for most of the day, There is 2 trains per hour between Glasgow and East Kilbride 7 days a week with extra trains during peak times. There is also a regular hourly service between Ayr and Girvan with 8 trains per day extending south to Stranraer with a 2 hourly service to/from Kilmarnock, On Sundays, 5 trains per day operate from Ayr to Stranraer however there is no service to/from Kilmarnock.

Before the May 2022 timetable change, there were some services that continued past Carlisle, continuing to Newcastle along the Tyne Valley Line. The service from Stranraer to Newcastle was withdrawn in 2009. Scotrail service to Newcastle was withdrawn as part of the May 2022 timetable change (therefore leaving Carlisle as the only station in England to be served by Scotrail.)

The Glasgow South Western Line links into the ferries at Stranraer via the bus connecting with Cairnryan for the Stena Line ferries to the Port of Belfast and the P&O Ferries to Larne Harbour. The Stena Line ships (previously Sealink) ran from Stranraer Harbour until 2011. A bus connection to Cairnryan is also now provided from Ayr. Onward rail connections are provided by Northern Ireland Railways.