 |
| |
Enjoy the rail Glasgow train network.
Rail? Real?...Whatever!
Jump confidently on a Glasgow train to your destination
with my little Glasgow rail guide
The Lowdown | Guide | Times & Fares | Via England, Edinburgh etc
 Trainspotting Country
Yes, Ewan McGregor's disturbingly brilliant Trainspotting was filmed here in Scotland, but unlike my wee travel guide here, it ain't about the trains! So have a read here for a few tips on how to survive our rail service, and if you get bored at any point, well, just watch the movie instead (my personal favourite is the Begbie glass incident!)
Anywho, the trains. You'll be pleased to know that if you're planning to travel around in a Glasgow train when you get here, from Glasgow Central Train Station and beyond the Glasgow rail network isn't too complex to work out. If you take anything at all from this page, it's that to calm any fears of the unknown you may have about getting around the Glasgow train network, all you need to do is plan things in advance - learn and print off the route stops & timetables online before travelling and you should be fine.
These days I'm a car owner, but in the past I was a devoted man of public transport (way ahead of my time with all those principled thoughts of carbon & emissions reduction, or was it just that I couldn't afford a car when I was younger?!!...), and still jump a train regularly whenever I'm out for a drink or travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow or down to England.
The Glasgow railway network, together with the networks around the UK, gets a bad write up in the press more often than not, although much of the blame for delays and accidents is focused normally on the Government's historical lack of funding. To be perfectly honest though, I've never had any real problems with the trains in Glasgow, and that's having used them for years commuting to and from work here as well as for one-off pleasure trips, so unless you're really uptight about everything being perfect, I don't think you need to be worried about relying on the standard of service you'll get when you visit.
And just to curb any worries I might have created by the use of the words 'accidents' and 'delays' there, you can rest assured that travelling by rail remains one of the safest, most economical and efficient forms of transportation in Scotland, so feel free to come out from behind your seat now!
Back to Top
 A wee guide for starters
There may not be a secret platform to Hogwarts (more's the pity, although that hasn't stopped a number of curious youngsters smashing themselves into train station walls just in case!), but the two main Glasgow railway stations, Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street Station, serve us very well here in our daily travels around, to and from the City.
Main thing to know? If you're heading in a Glasgow train to or from west or south of the City, Central Station's where you'll be headed, and if you're travelling to or from east or north of the City, Queen Street Station's your place. Here's
a wee map of Glasgow
so that you can find your way to and from the stations. Once you've located your routes & destinations on the sites I mention below, just use the Google Directions tool you see on the map to find your way around.
Central Station is located in the square of Argyle Street, Hope Street, Gordon Street and Union Street in the City Centre, with entrances on each street. If you don't know the station well, I'd suggest heading up to the main concourse via the Gordon Street, Hope Street or Union Street entrances, and if you're meeting anyone there you should arrange to do so under The Big Clock (for obvious reasons, you can't miss it!). Then, have a look for your Glasgow train and platform on the huge screens and head in the right direction.
The 'high level' platforms are in the main concourse under the big screens, and run from 1 to 13. The 'low level' ones run from 14 to 15, and are found by heading to the top right of the main concourse & down via the escalators and lifts, or via the Argyle Street entrance. Just grab your ticket at the ticket office and head for the correct platform (there are screens at the entrance to each platform with the Glasgow train information you need so you don't get on the wrong one). If you don't have time to get a ticket before departure, there are conductors on each train who will ask you to purchase one.
Then once you're on your (hopefully correct) Glasgow train, just watch out the window or listen to the (pretty depressed-sounding female) announcement of the approaching stations until your destination turns up, and in almost every Glasgow train there will also be rolling screens showing the next station. If still in doubt about where to get on or off however, just ask a friendly face!
 If you're interested at all about the architecture in the City, you might want to take a while looking around Central Station, as there's a great deal to see. One of the most famous features is the Argyle Bridge which is commonly known as the Hielanman's Umbrella (pronounced Heelanman's) and was named after the Highlanders or Glasgow Gaels who used to use it as a meeting place and to take shelter from our infamous weather, much as I've done myself a few times! The Umbrella marks the start of the fascinating Teuchter Trail (amusingly pronounced chookter, an affectionate tag we place on northerners, much to their derision I'm sure), although you'd be pretty surprised at just how many Glasgwegians have never even heard about this.
There's also the Central Hotel which you can see in the picture at the top of the page. This place was designed beautifully by Robert Rowand Anderson, and believe it or not received John Logie Baird's ground-breaking transmission of the world's first long-distance television pictures. Historical stuff, but it now just seems to play host to a great deal of well-lubricated (and by that I mean 'drunken'!) wedding receptions and office parties, much to the delight of the onlooking crowd waiting for a taxi at the Gordon Street rank when the party spills out onto the street on weekend nights!
Queen Street Station is found in the north left corner of George Square, with entrances via Queen Street, North Hanover Street and Dundas Street (off Bath Street). You'll find that in Glasgow Queen Street Station there are automated terminals dotted about at which you can pick up your Glasgow train tickets, and these will normally be handier for you when it's not rush hour. Otherwise, the main concourse isn't too big, and you'll quickly spot the ticket office.
In front of the platforms on the main concourse there's a row of screens with the Glasgow train departure information you'll need. Generally however, the 'high level' trains to and from Edinburgh and the North run from the main concourse platforms 1 to 7, and the more local 'low level' trains (eg. to Dumbarton and Helensburgh) run from platforms 8 and 9 which can be accessed via well sign-posted escalators and lifts. As with Glasgow Central above (and yeah I know I know, more than likely with every other train station in the world), it's just a case of grabbing your ticket in advance (or if there's no time, from the conductor on the train), looking for your train on the row of screens, and heading to the correct platform.
Getting between the two stations will take you about 10 minutes walking (from Central via Gordon Street to the right, a left onto Buchanan Street, a right onto St. Vincent Street, a left at George Sqaure and straight to the station; or the reverse from Queen Street Station), or a few minutes in a cab from any of the taxi ranks outside. You can also get access to Buchanan Street Underground from Queen Street Glasgow Train Station, so just follow the signs out of the main concourse and head down the moving travelator (always disconcerting when you've had a drink or two!).
Both stations are well served with shops, food & drink stops and cash machines in and around them, so don't worry about getting caught short before you travel.
As for the other Glasgow train stations dotted around the City, for the most part you'll find that they're well sign-posted, brightly-lit and secure. All stations have CCTV cameras for security, TV screens and timetables for arrivals & departures, a ticket office during most of the day (if the office is closed you just get your ticket from the conductor on the train), and most also have taxi ranks and bus stops outside or near the station. As I say though, have a look at the Google Map above to see which station will get you closest to where you're heading, and to cut down on hassles & confusion, learn in advance your route to & from whatever Glasgow train station you'll be using.
And if you miss your Glasgow train? Well, don't worry about that, as there are plenty of buses and taxis around anywhere you go in the City, so you'll be happy to know that you're never going to be lost & stuck anywhere. If in doubt, phone a Glasgow taxi using the numbers on my taxi guide, and they'll pick you up straight away.
Back to Top
 Times & Fares
As for how to find out your likely fare, where to go and what Glasgow train to catch, the first thing you should do will be to pick up the correct timetable for your route and destination, by asking at the ticket office of either of the main stations and at any tourist office around the City, or by visiting
Scotrail
if you'll be travelling around Glasgow & Scotland, or
Virgin
or
GNER
for journeys to and from England & Wales. Those websites also allow you to book your tickets online, and give you full information on accessibility, facilities and up to date alerts for the various Glasgow train stations and railway routes, so are worth a look if you want a decent insight into what you'll be faced with when you get here.
To be honest therefore, I couldn't give you an accurate fare guide as they change all the time and depend obviously on the length of your journey. So I'd suggest that you enter your time, route and destination into the search boxes in the above sites and you'll be given your expected fare. You'll be pleased to know however, that with all the pressure being placed on the authorities here to concentrate on public transport, the fares ain't that high, so you won't have to rob a bank just to jump a Glasgow train.
One final wee thing you might be interested to know - if you're looking to catch the bus around Glasgow once your train journey has finished, you might want to check out
Railbus
(otherwise known as Plusbus), which is a combined Glasgow rail and bus service that could save you some more cash.
Back to Top
 From & to England, Edinburgh etc.
If you'll be travelling to or from England and Glasgow, you'll be on the GNER London Glasgow train or alternatively the Virgin one.
Have a look first at the above sites for both, and you'll find out the best price for your journey. I've had to get this train sometimes when I've been travelling to London with my mate Alan, as he used to have this crazy fear of flying (I'm sure he'll thank me for saying that!), and have found that it's worth looking into upgrading to First Class on either of these trains, as sometimes the fare isn't much higher than the normal one but you get the first class space and service all the way.
If you'll be jumping the Edinburgh Glasgow train, have a look at the Scotrail site above for times and fares. I use this service a great deal, mostly for business, and have found that it's been getting more efficient and professional down the years. It's usually busy with commuters at rush hour, but will get you between the cities in about 50 minutes. If you go at the right times you might be able to swing a cheap day return, and also multiple journey passes if you'll be flitting between the two a few times (of course, I reckon you're better just sticking with Glasgow, but what do I know? Eh? Eh? Aye...).
As before, the Edinburgh Glasgow train runs to and from Queen Street Station, and the London and other English trains operate to and from Glasgow Central Station.
So I hope you find my little guide useful for your time here, and that your Glasgow train journeys don't fill you with as much dread as they did for me when I was a kid.
Any probs, just let me know.
Back to Top
Return from Glasgow Train Guide to Getting Around Glasgow
Return to Home Page
|
|
