Cathcart Circle Lines

The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow (Central) to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde. The routes are part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network.

History
The Cathcart Circle Lines are formed of lines built by the Cathcart District Railway (Cathcart Circle) and the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (Newton and Neilston lines). The first part of the railway was opened to public traffic on 1 March 1886 as a double line from Glasgow Central to Mount Florida and thereafter as a single line towards Cathcart. The double line reached Cathcart on 26 May 1886. The familiar circular route back to Central station via Shawlands and Maxwell Park was completed on 2 April 1894.

The Newton and Neilston branches were originally built to provide a through route from the Lanarkshire coalfields to ports such as Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast. There is still a junction with other lines at Newton, but the track beyond Neilston has been lifted.

The railways originally carried significant amounts of freight, but commuter trains are the only regular users now. Football special services are sometimes run to Mount Florida and King's Park stations for major matches at Hampden Park.

When the lines were originally built, much of the land around them was open countryside. The existence of a commuter railway was a major factor in the development of Glasgow's southern suburbs.

On weekdays the services have provided a vital transport link for school pupils and college students at nearby schools and higher education establishments, contributing to passenger numbers on top of the commuter traffic.

The route was electrified in 1962 to the standard 25 kV AC; however, limited clearances in the cuttings between Pollokshields East and Mount Florida meant that that section was electrified at 6.25 kV. The units - which had dual voltage capability - replaced steam trains and early diesel units.

The electric "Blue Trains" were introduced for passenger service on the Cathcart Circle and its associated branch lines on Monday 28 May 1962, after a trial run the previous day. Over 5,500 passengers were reported as using the new electric commuter services in their first morning rush hour.

Constituent lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines comprise the following lines:

Cathcart Circle
Built by the Cathcart District Railway. "Outer Circle" services run in a clockwise direction, while "Inner Circle" services run in an anti-clockwise direction.

Newton Branch Line
Built by the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway. Diverges from the Cathcart Circle Line at either Mount Florida (clockwise) or Langside (anti-clockwise). The link from the Langside direction was put in place during electrification.

Neilston Branch Line
Also built by the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway. Diverges from the Cathcart Circle Line at Cathcart (clockwise only).

Following electrification in 1962
Passenger services around the west side of the Cathcart Circle onto the L&AR lines eastbound, terminating at Kirkhill, whilst east side services running through to Newton, with many being extended through to Motherwell via the Clydesdale Junction Railway route.

During this period the basic service pattern was on a 30 minute frequency (two per hour) was Glasgow Central to Neilston (via Mount Florida); Glasgow Central to Motherwell (via Mount Florida); Glasgow Central to Kirkhill (via Maxwell Park); and Cathcart Circle (Inner and Outer).

West Coast Main Line electrification 1974
Electrification of the West Coast Main Line, which included the Hamilton Circle lines, resulted in east side services being terminated at Newton. Peak time services from east and west sides operated to Motherwell via Blantyre and Hamilton.

Argyle Line opening in 1979
Opening of the Argyle Line brought more changes, with the major change being the extension of west side services from Kirkhill to Newton.

Until the late 1980s, there were four trains an hour on the Newton branch (two via Maxwell Park and two via Queen's Park) and two trains an hour in each direction around the Cathcart Circle, in addition to the services on the Neilston branch.

2006/07
Passenger services were operated by First ScotRail, with most services using electric multiple units although Class 318s and Class 334s (Juniper units) made occasional appearances on the line.

2008
The basic service (Monday to Sunday) is every thirty minutes between Glasgow Central and Neilston (via Mount Florida); and every hour between Glasgow Central and Newton (via Mount Florida); Glasgow Central and Newton (via Maxwell Park); and Cathcart Circle (Inner and Outer). The Inner and Outer Circle trains do not run on Sundays.

This frequency combined creates a thirty minute service on the west side of the circle, Neilston and Newton branches; three trains per hour at Cathcart; and four trains per hour to stations between Glasgow Central and Mount Florida. Although frequent, these service levels are less than those of the 1960s.

At peak times the above services combine to have trains running approximately every 5–10 minutes between Glasgow Central and Cathcart, where line capacity permits. Commuter levels on this line are quite high and therefore a high density service is required at such busy periods.

Rolling stock
Upon electrification in 1962, Class 303s. Following electrification of the Inverclyde Line in 1967, Class 311 units were also used. Following the introduction of the Class 318 in 1986, they made occasional trips onto the Cathcart Circle line. The Class 311 were withdrawn in 1999, and following the introduction of the the Class 303 were withdrawn in 2002 and a major redeployment of Strathclyde electric fleet took place, resulting in the Class 314s taking over the line, supplemented occasionally by Classes 318 and 334.

In 2011 Class 314s primarily operate the Cathcart Circle (including Newton, Neilston services) with Class 318s occasionally being used. During peak hours Class 380s are used, but will be restricted to the Cathcart Circle Line.

Light rail conversion
There have also been proposals mooted at various times to convert the line to light rail, however never at any time have such proposals been beyond the initial suggestion stage. Most recently, in December 2008 Transport Scotland's Strategic Transport Projects Review suggested an upgrade of the Cathcart Circle line to light rail as part of a wider light rail network for metropolitan Glasgow, incorporating both new lines and re-purposed older alignments. If taken forward, this proposal would be implemented during the period 2012 - 2022, in line with the scope of the strategic review.