Here are all the details you need to keep you moving as the tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street closes until August 8th.
The closure of the tunnel will mean that trains that would normally run in and out of Queen Street High Level will be diverted to either Queen Street Low Level or Glasgow Central. This will mean changes to existing timetables and, in many cases, longer journey times.
While more information can be found here brief details on how your journey could be effected are below:
Summary of amended services during the tunnel closure
Aberdeen/Inverness - Glasgow
These services will retain their existing number of trains each hour. However, services will be diverted to Glasgow Central where there are more retail facilities and more space for customers who have luggage or are travelling in groups. This also gives ScotRail more time to prepare the trains before departure with seat reservation labels and catering trolleys. Services to Edinburgh from these locations are unaffected.
Journey times for those travelling to Glasgow will be between 30-40 minutes longer. However, those travelling in either direction north of Stirling, will find their journeys substantially unaffected, barring minor timetable alterations.
NOTE: Last service from GLC to Aberdeen departs between 20-30 minutes earlier than it would normally leave from Queen Street.
Arbroath / Dundee / Perth – Glasgow
Some of these services will use Glasgow Queen Street, others Glasgow Central, depending on where the journey originates. Customers should check their journeys in advance so they know their arrival station. Some services that currently terminate at Dunblane will be extended to Perth during the tunnel closure, providing additional options for customers in the Perth area.
Edinburgh – Glasgow (normally via Falkirk High)
- Fastest option: Customers travelling ‘end to end’ between Edinburgh and Glasgow should use the route via Bathgate and Airdrie, which will have four trains per hour throughout the day, taking around 70 minutes. Almost every train on this route will be the maximum six carriages. Customers travelling end to end between Glasgow and Edinburgh should aim to travel on these alternative routes between 7am and 7pm each day.
- Diverted option: Customers who travel from Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk High and Croy will follow a diverted route to and from Glasgow Queen Street Low Level. Two trains per hour for all except Croy which will have four. This is a reduction for Falkirk High customers from four to two. Journeys will take approximately 25 minutes longer. Note: ‘end to end’ customers may also use this route but it is not recommended.
- Other options: Two trains per hour go via Shotts/Carstairs to Glasgow Central taking between 1hr 18 and 1hr 31. There is also one train every two hours between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh via Motherwell and Carstairs, with a journey time between 1hr and 1hr 10.
Stirling / Alloa / Dunblane / Larbert – Glasgow
Customers will have a half hourly service to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Monday- Saturday, customers from these areas will be diverted into and out of Glasgow Queen St Low Level. Journeys will take approx. 25 minutes longer.
The following two routes are combined during the tunnel closure to give a new, hourly Falkirk Grahamston – Anniesland service via Cumbernauld and Springburn.
Falkirk Grahamston / Cumbernauld - Glasgow
Falkirk Grahamston customers should change at Cumbernauld or Springburn for a connection to Glasgow.
Cumbernauld / Greenfaulds / Stepps / Gartcosh customers – Glasgow will be reduced to two services per hour all day (normally three) - one direct and one requiring a change at Springburn.
Customers are advised to use the ScotRail app or the journey planner on the ScotRail website to work out what works best for them.
Anniesland – Glasgow (via Maryhill)
Reduced to hourly – normally has two trains per hour all day. Passengers from Ashfield, Possilpark and Parkhouse, Gilshochill, Summerston, Maryhill and Kelvindale will have a choice to make (Mon-Sat):
- travel west towards Anniesland (hourly service) – changing trains there - to reach Glasgow Queen Street; or
- catch an eastbound train towards Falkirk Grahamston, changing trains at Springburn for Glasgow Queen St Low Level.
Customers are advised to carefully check which journey opportunity gives them a shorter journey.
On Sundays, services between Anniesland and Glasgow Queen Street will terminate and start from Ashfield. Passengers travelling to Glasgow Queen Street from Ashfield, Possilpark and Parkhouse, Gilshochill, Summerston, Maryhill and Kelvindale should travel west to Anniesland and change trains to reach Glasgow Queen Street.
Note: FirstGlasgow operate several buses in the Anniesland area, and customers may wish to check if using these buses will offer a quicker journey.
Fife - Glasgow
Two services each day currently operate directly between Fife and Glasgow. During the tunnel closure a change at Haymarket will be required:
0713 Kirkcaldy – Glasgow Queen Street – runs to Haymarket only
1733 Glasgow Queen Street – Markinch – cancelled
Mallaig / Fort William / Oban (and intermediate stations) - Glasgow
Services will use Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and take around 25 minutes longer. As these are ‘through’ platforms rather than at the end of a line, the time for getting on and off the train will be limited. Additional staff will be provided to help customers with luggage, cycles etc. Seat reservations and catering will continue to be provided.
Croy – Glasgow
Almost all trains from/to Stirling or Falkirk High direction will call at Croy on virtually the same frequency of four trains per hour to Glasgow and a half hourly service to Edinburgh and stations to Stirling. However, journeys will take approx. 25 minutes longer.
Bishopbriggs/ Lenzie - Glasgow
Large numbers travel between Bishopbriggs / Lenzie – Glasgow. Trains to / from Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa will continue to call at both stations every half hour. However an additional journey time of 25 minutes may make trains a less attractive option. A further factor is that peak time ‘additional’ services cannot be accommodated during the tunnel closure. Given this situation, we are working with local bus operators to run additional service buses at peak times during the tunnel closure. This will offer journey times of under 20 minutes. More details will be shared as soon as the timetables are finalised.
Helensburgh/Milngavie – Glasgow Queen St Low Level – Edinburgh
During the tunnel closure there will be new journey opportunities, different stopping patterns and fewer peak services. The average journey time between Edinburgh and Glasgow on this route will be 70 mins. The actual number of seats in the peak remains the same as now –we’ve just redistributed the carriages in a different way.
Other timetable alterations
A consequence of the tunnel closure is the need to reduce the number of local services in the west of the city. Some services will have minor alterations and re-timings on North Clyde routes, as will services that operate via Glasgow Central Low level (Argyle line). This is to accommodate the additional diverted services operating between Bellgrove/Queen Street Low Level and Anniesland. Two services per hour which normally run to/from Dalmuir via Yoker each hour will now start and finish at Anderston. Dalmuir - Cumbernauld services are extended to Dumbarton Central and one of these per hour will terminate at Springburn. By doing this, peak’ specials will not operate.
Buses
For Strathclyde area stations we have worked with commercial operators (FirstGlasgow and Stagecoach) to ensure customers continue to have choices in how they travel. We have also conducted research at key stations to check how and when customers travel. In most instances, the existing scheduled bus services have sufficient capacity to accommodate those who wish to switch to buses during the tunnel closure. Note: see Bishopbriggs and Lenzie.
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