Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway

v t e Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Legend
Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway City of Glasgow Union Railway Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway Cowlairs Tunnel Glasgow Queen Street Sighthill Junction Pinkston North Springburn Craighall Cowlairs Cowlairs Junction Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Hamiltonhill Branch of Caledonian Railway Bishopbriggs Lenzie Monkland Junction Middlemuir Junction Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Campsie Branch Garngaber Goods Croy Dullatur Castlecary Upper Greenhill Caledonian Railway Main Line Greenhill Upper Junction originally Scottish Central Jn Greenhill Lower Junction Bonnybridge High Scottish Central Railway Falkirk High Falkirk Tunnel Polmont Junction Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway Polmont Slamannan Railway Coatbridge Line Junction Bo'ness High Junction Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway Manuel High Level Lochmill Goods Linlithgow Philpstoun Port Edgar Winchburgh Junction New Halls Winchburgh South Queensferry Halt Winchburgh Tunnel Forth Bridge Broxburn Oil Dalmeny Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway Dalmeny North Junction Bathgate Junction Dalmeny South Junction Kirkliston Turnhouse Edinburgh Gateway Ratho Ingliston Colliery Gogar South Gyle Edinburgh Park Saughton Junction Corstorphine Saughton Pinkhill Balgreen Halt   Caledonian Railway Haymarket West Junction Main Line     Haymarket Central Junction   Edinburgh Suburban & Haymarket East Junction Southside Junction Rly   Haymarket Haymarket Tunnel Mound Tunnel Edinburgh Waverley North British Railway

The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was authorised by act of Parliament on 4 July 1838.^{[1][page needed][2][page needed]} It was opened to passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, between its Glasgow Queen Street railway station (sometimes referred to at first as Dundas Street) and Haymarket railway station in Edinburgh. Construction cost £1,200,000 for 46 miles (74 km). The intermediate stations were at Corstorphine (later Saughton), Gogar, Ratho, Winchburgh, Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk, Castlecary, Croy, Kirkintilloch (later Lenzie) and Bishopbriggs. There was a ticket platform at Cowlairs. The line was extended eastwards from Haymarket to North Bridge in 1846, and a joint station for connection with the North British Railway was opened on what is now Edinburgh Waverley railway station in 1847.

Patronage on the line quickly reached double the railway's initial estimates, and by 1850 58 locomotives and 216 coaches were needed to handle the traffic. Goods traffic started in March 1842 and slowly increased, overtaking passenger revenue by 1855.^{[1][page needed]}

The line still runs today as the main line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. It was electrified and improved under the auspices of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme.^[3] 8-car electric Class 385 trains started operating from Monday 29 July 2019 between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk High.^[4] The fastest trains are scheduled to take 42 minutes.^[5]