Buchanan Street railway station

Buchanan Street
The station in 1961
Location	Glasgow, Lanarkshire Scotland
Coordinates	55°51′59″N 4°15′10″W / 55.8665°N 4.2527°W / 55.8665; -4.2527Coordinates: 55°51′59″N 4°15′10″W / 55.8665°N 4.2527°W / 55.8665; -4.2527
Grid reference	NS590660
Platforms	6
Other information
Status	Demolished
History
Original company	Caledonian Railway
Pre-grouping	Caledonian Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 November 1849 (1849-11-01)	Opened as terminal station[1]
7 November 1966 (1966-11-07)	Closed[1]

Buchanan Street station was the least known of Glasgow's four main terminus railway stations, the other three being Central, Queen St and St Enoch. It was to the north-west of Queen Street station and served the north of Scotland.

History[]

Constructed in 1849 by the Caledonian Railway Company as its main terminus for the city, the original station buildings consisted of supposedly temporary wooden structures, which lasted until the 1930s. A goods station at the site opened in 1850. Services ran primarily northbound, to Aberdeen, Perth and Stirling and other destinations.

The station was earmarked for closure and replacement in the "Bruce Report" about how to redevelop Glasgow in the post-Second World War period. The plan included replacing Buchanan Street and Queen Street stations with a Glasgow North station on land including the site of Buchanan Street, but many times larger. There was also a similar scheme to replace Central and St Enoch stations with a Glasgow South station, but neither came to fruition.

This reprieve proved to be only temporary as the station was closed in 1966 as part of the rationalisation of the railway system devised by Richard Beeching, with most of its services running to Queen Street. The buildings were demolished in 1967. The 430 yd (390 m) Buchanan Street tunnel that ran from just outwith the station to Sighthill still exists, but public access is prohibited.

Site[]

In 1975, British Rail constructed Buchanan House (later named 'ScotRail House' between January 1985 and April 1994) and Glasgow Caledonian University occupy the site of the station. The Station Bar, nearby, still exists.

References[]

Notes[]

Sources[]

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.