Transforming the Railways of Central Scotland

With the evident success of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, opened in 1830, there were soon proposals to link Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, with the growing industrial centre of Glasgow. Much engineering effort went into producing a line with gentle curves and gradients - apart from the steep access into the Glasgow terminus at Queen Street. Praised as a magnificent line, Scotland's first 'inter-city' route of 44½ miles was opened by the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Company to Haymarket in 1842. From this 'spine', a network of routes soon developed. Now EGIP, the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme, has brought electrification to the 'E&G' and to other key routes in Central Scotland. It is a transformation that is long overdue, and will usher in a new era for the railways, improving passenger services and staff working conditions while bringing benefits to communities and the environment.