A Glasgow Crossrail would benefit all Scotland

Transport Scotland prioritises regeneration and connectivity in any road and rail proposals, and it is clear that Glasgow’s Crossrail meets both criteria ( RAIL 850).

The areas around Shields, Gorbals and High Street would experience social and economic regeneration if this short link were to be reinstated as a passenger route. This has happened in Ebbw Vale, Alloa and elsewhere.

It is Scotland’s Crossrail, not just Glasgow’s, as any map shows. I know numerous friends who live in Largs, Ayr or Greenock who, when travelling to Stirling, Edinburgh or further, will drive along the M8, park at Shields Road or West Street, and catch the subway to Glasgow Queen Street rather than walking across the city centre.

Also, the area is alive with students from Strathclyde University and City of Glasgow College, all of whom travel.

On regeneration and connectivity grounds this short link should be electrified immediately, the short south to west St John’s curve be created to give access to Queen Street Low Level, and public consultations initiated to reinstate stations at Gorbals and Glasgow Cross.

Dr Brian Chaplin, Glasgow

I agree with Iain Docherty when he says that Crossrail would essentially mean trains bypassing Glasgow City Centre ( RAIL 850) - and that would not be good for the economy of the city.

I was a Chief Engineer responsible for transport planning in Strathclyde Regional Council. If the project had stacked up then, it would have been built - but it created more problems than it solved.

The map of rail lines around Glasgow omits some key existing routes. It is therefore worth noting that existing electrified railway infrastructure would allow trains from Ayrshire to run into Glasgow Central Low Level and further west to Milngavie and Helensburgh, if that was desired.

It is also currently possible to run trains from Ayrshire directly to Edinburgh and Stirling, so what does Crossrail add in terms of avoiding the need for interchange?

A north-south rail link through the city centre is another thing altogether. It would be expensive, and construction would be disruptive. However, such a link would enhance access to and through the city centre, and allow all manner of through rail operations (as is the case in Edinburgh).

It is worth noting that such a link was proposed as long ago as 1945 by the then City Engineer, Robert Bruce.

Ian Lawson, Glasgow