Busby Railway

The Busby Railway was a short railway line built on the south side of Glasgow, connecting Busby and later East Kilbride with the city. It opened in two stages, in 1866 and 1868, and served industry and encouraged residential development.

The line is still open as part of the Glasgow South Western Line on the city's suburban rail network.

In the 1860s, developing residential areas outside the immediate conurbation of Glasgow began to emerge. Local people promoted a line to connect Busby to the growing Glasgow network, and on 11 May 1863 the Busby Railway obtained an authorising Act of Parliament with a capital of £36,000. It was to run from a junction with the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway (GB&NDR) which at that time was leased to, and worked by, the Caledonian Railway. The line would be 3 miles 43 chains (6 km) in length. The speculative nature of the line was indicated in the prospectus, which described the area served as being ideal for villa residences: business people could live in rural surroundings and travel daily to their places of business in the City. There was also important quarrying activity in the area; their product was much in demand at the time; there were also textile mills in the area served.

The line opened on 1 January 1866, and the point of junction with the main line was named Busby Junction. Train services operated from the South Side station in Glasgow. There was a half mile goods branch to a print works at Busby.

During the construction period the decision was taken to extend the line to the village of East Kilbride, at an additional cost of £45,000. The Caledonian Railway subscribed one-third of this sum. The extension was opened on 1 September 1868.

In 1881 the line was doubled between Busby Junction and Busby.

On 18 July 1881 an Act was passed authorising the Caledonian Railway to absorb the Busby Railway, and in December 1881 it was determined to buy out the remaining shareholders of the Busby Railway Company, and the line passed fully into Caledonian Railway ownership on 2 February 1882. The Caledonian Railway built a line eastwards from East Kilbride to join the Strathaven line near High Blantyre, where there was considerable mining activity; the intervening land was very thinly populated.

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