Shotts Line

The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts in Scotland. The route from Glasgow to Shotts is part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network. Between Glasgow Central and Uddingston, the line is shared with the West Coast Main Line (WCML), before branching off towards Bellshill, rejoining the Edinburgh branch of the WCML at Midcalder Junction.

Glasgow to Edinburgh services
The line is not the major service between the cities (the shortest, and most direct route between the two cities is the route via Bathgate and Airdrie), with the journey taking around twice as long as the frequent main Glasgow Queen Street-Edinburgh service via Falkirk - which is the premier commuter link between the two cities.

History of route
The majority of the route follows ex-Caledonian Railway metals, with the North British Railway at the Edinburgh end.


 * Glasgow Central Lines (CR)
 * Polloc and Govan Railway between Eglinton Street Tunnels and Rutherglen (CR)
 * Clydesdale Junction Railway between Rutherglen and Uddingston (CR)
 * Cleland and Midcalder Line between Uddingston and Kirknewton (CR)
 * Caledonian Railway Main Line between Kirknewton and Haymarket
 * Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway between Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley (NBR)

Transport studies
In 2002, the Scottish Association Public Transport (SAPT) published a report suggesting that electrification of the Shotts Line would open up the Glasgow suburban electric network to Edinburgh and beyond, principally linking the capital to the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (now cancelled). This has been proposed as an alternative to the Glasgow Crossrail scheme, since it would not depend on the heavily used North Clyde Line, and would also provide a more direct electric link between Edinburgh and Glasgow without using the longer route via the WCML through Carstairs Junction.

Stations
The Shotts line serves the following stations:


 * Glasgow Central
 * connections for south-west Scotland, including Ayr, Greenock and Dumfries as well as West Coast Main Line services
 * Cambuslang
 * only at peak times
 * Uddingston
 * Bellshill
 * connections to Motherwell and Lanark.
 * Holytown
 * Carfin
 * Cleland
 * Hartwood
 * Shotts
 * Fauldhouse
 * Breich
 * Addiewell
 * West Calder
 * Livingston South
 * Kirknewton
 * limited connections to Carstairs
 * Curriehill
 * Wester Hailes
 * Kingsknowe
 * Slateford
 * Haymarket
 * Edinburgh Waverley
 * connections to north-eastern and central Scotland, including Dundee, Stirling and Inverness as well as East Coast Main Line services

Electrification
Parts of the route are electrified using the 25 kV overhead system. These are:-
 * Glasgow Central to Holytown
 * Kirknewton to Edinburgh Waverley

The line follows the electrified West Coast Main Line as far as Uddingston Junction where it branches off to the east. Until Holytown Junction the line is electrified and also used by Argyle Line services. From Holytown the un-electrified line continues through open countryside past Shotts and joins the electrified Edinburgh Branch of the Caledonian Railway (part of the WCML) at Kirknewton. The central section between Holytown and Midcalder Junction is due to be electrified by 2019.

Prior to December 2009
A Monday to Saturday hourly service was operated on the line, calling at all stops between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. The exceptions to this rule were: Briech which was a request stop at peak hours only, the two trains a day in either direction that travelled via Carstairs and the single afternoon service from Edinburgh via Shotts that terminated at Motherwell.

On Sundays only, a two hourly service was provided between Edinburgh and West Calder. There were no services between Addiewell and Bellshill on a Sunday.

December 2009 to December 2012
While the original timetabled services on the route continue, albeit slightly altered, they have been supplemented by a new limited stop express passenger service. This new service operates in the gaps in the original timetable, making the route frequency now twice hourly.

The new service calls at Glasgow Central, Bellshill, Shotts, West Calder, Livingston South, Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley only. It will see an end-to-end reduction in journey time of 33 minutes. The journey takes 65 minutes.

As of December 2009, the Shotts Line no longer serves Cambuslang, except during peak times.

December 2012 onwards
In the December 2012 timetable, the two hourly Sunday service that previously served Edinburgh - West Calder only has been extended the full length of the Shotts line. Giving stations between West Calder and Bellshill a Sunday service.

Traction
Passenger services on the line are provided by First ScotRail Class 156s with the occasional Class 158s being timetabled on the line. The services via Carstairs are provided by First ScotRail Class 380s.

Freight services along the line are generally hauled using Class 66 traction, though on occasion other types may be used.