Platform 1 at Neilston Railway Station, with shelter and ticket office (to the right, behind the shelter). Trains to Glasgow depart from this platform.
I thought that I’d visit the village of Neilston (East Renfrewshire), outbound by rail; and return by bus. I found Neilston on the Scotrail system map of central routes [LINK]
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/our-routes
Neilston is at the end of the mustard colour-coded line which include services via Cathcart. As with all such diagrams, the system map has great artistic merit, but is geographically deceptive, as it shows Neilston directly to the south of Glasgow and confusingly, further south of Kilmarnock. In reality, Neilston is four miles south west of Barrhead (which is on the teal coloured route to South West Scotland) and the two rail lines are less than ½ mile apart at the Neilston terminus. It is also way north-east of Kilmarnock, not to the south of that town.
I downloaded the timetable from the Scotrail timetables page of their website so that I had a pdf of the train times [LINK]
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/timetables
You can also buy your tickets online through the Scotrail website. On this occasion, I tried to request (online) a free Scotrail smartcard which I thought could come in useful to buy train tickets in the future. However, on the day that made my attempt, the website indicated that for technical reasons it was not possible for anyone to apply for a smartcard. Other digital methods for buying tickets were shown, though, including using the Scotrail “app” or mobile phone mTickets, both of which are a mystery to me as I don’t have a smart phone. On the day, I bought a single ticket from a ticket machine at Glasgow Central. Fares are £5.20 for an anytime or off-peak single; £5.60 for a day return.
Platform 2 at Neilston station. Trains arrive from Glasgow here; then continue (empty) along the track beyond the platform, to switch to the Glasgow track serving Platform 1.
The journey time to Neilston from Glasgow Central is 33 minutes, stopping at nine intermediate stations; and the service runs every half hour during the daytime. The line is electrified and served by Class 320 trains (dating from 1989-90). The seating is in a 3+2 configuration. The alignment of the seating with the windows is not great; and for me (being tall), the seats are somewhat low by comparison with the Class 156 rolling stock on the line to Dumfries. Otherwise, it was a comfortable journey to Neilston. It is a suburban route until we get to Whitecraigs (two stops before Neilston) where we hit Rouken Glen Country Park.
On reason that I wanted to travel this train line was because it is scheduled to have a new stopping point, located just south east of Barrhead at Balgray. This new station will become the penultimate on the route, before Neilston. The new station is close to Balgray Reservoir and will serve the extensive new housing that is being built in that location (Springhill).
The new station at Balgray nearing completion. Opening is planned for Autumn 2026.
The information board by the new station indicates that construction work started in June 2025. The new station will have: two platforms, a footbridge with lifts (as photographed), cycle storage, electric vehicle charging points and an 80 space car park. On the reservoir side (Platform 2) there is ramp access for wheelchair users; and level access on the car park side (Platform 1).
¾ mile south west of Neilston. The disused line continues from here to the village of Uplawmoor, where there used to be a station.
From new to the old: beyond Neilston, it is possible to see the course of the now disused railway line which extended to Uplawmoor. British Rail closed the line beyond Neilston back in the 1960s. The current Scotrail system map for the central routes (referred to above) shows a bus link from Neilston to Uplawmoor, which may well be a legacy of the historic link by rail to that village. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) provides funding for subsidised route 395 from East Kilbride, Barrhead, Neilston to Uplawmoor, which passes along Station Road at Neilston to provide the connection on to Uplawmoor. This service is provided by Shuttle Bus, but I didn’t use it on this trip.
McGill’s Yutong E12 Switch 3 branded bus on the Glasgow to Neilston route, here at Silverburn bus station.
Instead, I returned to Glasgow centre using McGill’s Switch 3 service. In 2020, McGill’s started to acquire the Yutong E12 electric buses, in part using funding from the Scottish Government’s Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund. By September 2025, 125 of McGill’s 151 electric fleet comprised Yutong vehicles. Based on my several trips on the Switch 3 buses, I found that the Yutong E12 buses are comfortable (both raised seats at the rear; and at the front) and provide a smooth ride. But two things that the Yutong E12 does not have: a digital screen showing the next stop; or announcements indicating the approaching stopping point.
A passenger in a wheelchair joined us. The driver left his cab to deploy the manual ramp, as this vehicle doesn’t come with a motorised retractable ramp. But perhaps the manual type is simpler and more reliable than one that is driven by an electric motor. The latter may be susceptible to break down: a problem I have repeatedly seen In London, on buses with failing retractable ramps at the rear door; and no other means for a wheelchair passenger to board. On the Yutong E12, the wheelchair area was spacious enough for the passenger and accompanying carer.
For my bus hop back to Glasgow, I bought from the driver a Greater Glasgow Day Saver at £6.20, which I thought was good value for the 11 mile journey. This ticket is valid for a day on any McGill’s bus service in the Glasgow region. To plan my return journey by bus, I consulted the timetable on the McGill’s website [LINK]
https://www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk/services/McG/3
On the timetable page, there is a useful geographical map which shows the route from Neilston to Glasgow; and the progress of the buses along the route. Helpfully, I was able to download in pdf both the timetable and route map. I took with me printed copies of these to track my journey. The McGill’s website provides information on how to use the McGill’s Mobile App to buy tickets and access timetable and other information from the smart phone.
The buses run every thirty minutes during the daytime between Neilston and Glasgow. The journey time is 70 minutes. In Barrhead, buses heading both for Neilston and Glasgow makes a single direction loop around the housing estate in Auckenback, which presents a challenge for the drivers as there quite a few cars parked on either side of the road. Many of these houses do not have driveways, so it is unsurprising that on street parking takes place.
The onboard route map for the Switch 3 bus route from Glasgow to Neilston. I alighted at Silverburn.
Overall, a pleasant day out to Neilston with interesting journeys in both directions. In terms of comfort, I preferred the bus (McGill’s Switch 3), but for speed, then the train was undoubtedly the quicker option. The new station at Balgray will provide easy access to the adjacent reservoir (for walkers and cyclists) as well as the new housing; and I look forward to using that station in the near future.
I confirm that the photographs are my own.
Steven Ardron
10 June 2026
