Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 53, 2020

The Paisley Canal line is a branch railway line in Scotland running between Glasgow and Paisley. The line terminates at Paisley Canal railway station, although it previously continued through Paisley West station to Elderslie junction where it met and crossed under the main Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) line. After Elderslie, the line terminated at North Johnstone. The line has its origins in the ambitions of Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, who had headed and championed both the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal and the Ardrossan Railway. During the mid-1800s, the G&SWR acquired both the canal and the railway. While the canal was operated as such for a time, during 1881, G&SWR set about the conversion of the canal to a railway line to relieve the Glasgow and Paisley joint line. During March 1885, the first trains commenced use of the new line. During the 1960s, services on the line were dramatically curtailed as a result of the Beeching cuts. On 10 January 1983, the line between Elderslie and Kilmacolm closed completely to scheduled passenger services; but the section between Hawkhead and Shields Junction remained open to serve an oil depot. A late 1980s Strathclyde Passenger Transport initiative resulted in the resumption of passenger services between Glasgow Central station and a new Paisley Canal station on 27 July 1990. Since then, additional stations have been built and opened on the route. During 2012, the entirety of the line was electrified, being furnished with a 25 kV AC overhead line for electric traction.

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