Glasgow Central Low Level
Station 1Rudy visited Glasgow Central Low Level on
Sunday, 23rd September 2018
and caught the 14:59 eastbound train to Argyle Street
The low level platforms at Glasgow Central were first opened in 1896! The decision to close them in 1964 as passengers moved to trams & busses was reversed in 1979 when they reopened as part of the new Argyle Line routes.
The Hielanman’s Umbrella
Glasgow Central high level platforms stretch across Argyle Street and shelter the direct entrances to the low level station. It’s one of the most readily recognised landmarks in Glasgow – and only in part because the station name is there in HUGE letters!
Glasgow Central Low Level has a subsurface island platform, numbered 16 for trains heading east and platform 17 for westbound services.
There is step-free access via lifts to the platforms, the automatic gates are always staffed when the station is open. Toilets are available on the high-level concourse.
While public-facing railway systems mostly identify only one Glasgow Central (GLC) station we count Glasgow Central Low Level as a separate station for a few reasons.
- The tracks are on a completely different level and alignment than the high-level platforms.
- There are separate TIPLOC codes and even a unique (if rather defunct) three-letter code for the low level – GCL.
- The branding on the low level platform is more ScotRail while high-level is Network Rail.
- There are completely separate ticket office and entrances for the low level.
- To move a train from a high-level platform to a low-level platform would be a journey of more than six miles.
- It just feels like a different experience using the low level trains than the high level!
This page was updated 23rd September 2022 on the fourth anniversary of our recorded visit here. Photos from subsequent adventures using the low level platforms were added along with some extra text & information.