Beneath our feet lies a hidden chapter of Glasgow’s railway history the Buchanan Street Tunnel. This tunnel once connected Buchanan Street Station to the north. The Buchanan Street Tunnel is a relic from the age of steam. It whispers forgotten stories of journeys and industry.
Buchanan Street Station, now gone, was once a major terminus. It served destinations like Stirling, Oban, Dundee West and Aberdeen. Think of the iconic A4 Pacifics hauling expresses to Aberdeen. These trains ran in just three hours during the 1960s.
The Caledonian Railway opened Buchanan Street Station in 1849. It replaced the smaller Glebe Street station. The older station had belonged to the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway. The new station was built on the site of East Cowcaddens Quarry. The original station had only two platforms and a timber trainshed. One platform was for arrivals. The other was for departures.
As traffic increased, two additional timber trainsheds were added. Services for the north were diverted from Glasgow Queen Street High Level. In 1879, trains from England were rerouted to Glasgow Central. The approach to Buchanan Street Station ran under Dobbies Loan. A three-arch stone bridge carried the road over the trackbed.
In 1883, a station coal shed was blown up during the ‘Fenian Dynamite Campaign’. An additional goods yard was added in 1909. It was accessed via the Buchanan Street Tunnel West Signal Box. This new route passed under Dobbies Loan via a long girder viaduct. By the 1930s, the station was reconstructed. This created the six-platform station many remember. Platform canopies from Ardrossan North were reused.
The Buchanan Street Tunnel itself played a vital role. The tunnel ran for 430 yards. That is about 390 meters. It stretched from the station to beyond the Cowlairs Incline at Sighthill. This is where lines from Queen Street merged.
However, the tunnel’s path was severed. Construction of the M8 motorway in the 1970s cut the tunnel in two. The south portal can still be seen behind Glasgow Caledonian University. But it is sealed off. No access is allowed.
The Buchanan Street Tunnel faced challenges during its operational years. In 1856, the tunnel flooded. This happened when the Pinkston Bog waste shifted. Stabilizing this area which was waste from the St Rollox Chemical Works required significant effort.
Two signal boxes controlled the tunnel’s operation. The Buchanan Street Tunnel East Signal Box closed early in 1887. The Buchanan Street Tunnel West Signal Box closed with the line in 1966.
The station’s decline began with the Beeching Axe. The station closed in 1966. Its services were moved to Queen Street. Buchanan Street lacked a convenient subway interchange. The surrounding area also suffered from slum clearances.
Today, student flats, ScotRail House and Glasgow Caledonian University occupy the station site. A short portion of the platform remains in a car park. The Buchanan Street Tunnel serves as a silent reminder of Glasgow’s rich railway past. It is a hidden piece of history buried beneath the modern city.