#transport infrastructure

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On February 18th 1842 Glasgow’s Queen Street train station opened. Originally named Dundas Street Station, Queen Street Station opened in 1842 as the Glasgow terminus of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway. A major obstacle was the Cowlairs Incline, a steep slope with a gradient of 1 in 46 which required early trains to be hauled from the station by means of a steam-driven winding cable.

The station was rebuilt and expanded by the North British Railway in 1878-1880 when electric lighting was introduced, one of the earliest examples of the use of electricity in Glasgow. Modernisation of platforms, track and signalling, and of the station forecourt, took place in the late 20th century.

Queen Street Low Level station, opened in 1886, had to be excavated without disturbing the main line traffic above. Open spaces at both ends provided escapes for the smoke from passing steam trains.

Queen Street has recently undergone a multimillion pound redevelopment.

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On 18th November 1982 the South Ford causeway between Benbecula and South Uist is opened in a ceremony held in a severe gale.

During a ceremony held in a howling gale in the middle of the road link , National Mod gold-medallist Mairi Macinnes, who was only 18, sang two Gaelic songs at the conclusion of the event after cutting the ceremonial ribbon with a skean dhu.

Alexander Matheson, the then convener of the Western Isles Islands Council (now Comhairle nan Eilean Siar), told the crowd of councillors, officials, contractors, guest and local people that far too often in the past ceremonies such as this had been handled by people from out with the area. He could think of no one better than Mairi Macinnes to carry out the ceremony.

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The Skye Bridge officially openned on October 16th 1995.

It doesn't seem like 30 years since the bridge opened!

Prior to the bridge being built, crossings to Skye had been made by ferry, for at least 400 years. Proposals for a bridge had been made during the 19th century, as road and rail transport was developing, but the island's small population meant that the suggestion was never seriously considered.

Construction on the bridge began in 1992 a toll was charged and years of protests followed, the toll scheme was ended on 21 December 2004. The majority of Islanders who used to use the old ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin were not charged for the short journey to and from the mainland, one story even goes that after Germany had beaten England in a football match ferry staff let cars with the D for Deutschland onto the ferry for free!

FI you hanker after the romantic route to Skye, you can still cross by ferry from Mallaig to the south of the island at Armadale. There is also the Glenelg to Kylerhea: A five-minute crossing that operates from Springtime to October. This is the shortest sea crossing to Skye.

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On 20th November 1964 the first part of the M8 Motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow was opened.

The new route, effectively a bypass for Harthill, was to form the first of a 20 miles of the motorway that was considered as important to Scotland’s infrastructure as the Forth Road Bridge.

Around 55,000 cars are recorded using the Harthill stretch of the motorway every day but it is not the busiest part of the road. The heaviest traffic, on average, is at junction 15 north of the Kingston Bridge where around 119,000 cars move across 10 lanes.

As the M8 grew, construction in the centre of Glasgow from 1968 demanded that huge areas of tenement blocks and business premises were flattened to make way for the motorway.

While the road led to the demolition of swathes of “sub-standard properties”, response was mixed with major upheaval around St George’s Cross and Anderson taking its toll as the giant roads were created.

Planners created routes that could accommodated car flows of the future. Some 120,000 cars were planned for in some places when, at the time, only 20,000 vehicles were on the road.

As experts have commented, a lot of justification was required with plans for even more motorways around Glasgow shelved over time.

The city centre section was completed in 1972 with the majority of the route finished by 1980.

The M8 was named in 2007 as the worst commuter route in Britain when 85 percent of drivers faced a delay at peak times.

The RAC has recorded that it is the least efficient motorway in the UK with an average speed of just 53mph.

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On 20th November 1964 the first part of the M8 Motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow was opened.

It was built in several stages, the majority of which were completed between 1965 and 1980. My dad used to moan about it, while you seen at least three lanes in motorways down south, right up till the 80's it was a glorified dual carriageway.

The M8 has a long history, starting with the construction of the first section in and continuing through to 2017

The first section was, in effect a bypass for Harthilll, 55,000 cars are recorded using the Harthill stretch of the motorway every day but it is not the busiest part of the road. The heaviest traffic, on average, is at junction 15 north of the Kingston Bridge where around 119,000 cars move across 10 lanes.

As the M8 grew, construction in the centre of Glasgow from 1968 demanded that huge areas of tenement blocks and business premises were flattened to make way for the motorway.

While the road led to the demolition of swathes of “sub-standard properties”, response was mixed with major upheaval around St George’s Cross and Anderson taking its toll as the giant roads were created.

As the year went by panners created routes that could accommodated car flows of the future. Some 120,000 cars were planned for in some places when, at the time, only 20,000 vehicles were on the road.

As experts have commented, a lot of justification was required with plans for even more motorways around Glasgow shelved over time.

The city centre section was completed in 1972 with the majority of the route finished by1980.

The M8 was named in 2007 as the worst commuter route in Britain when 85 percent of drivers faced a delay at peak times, the RAC has recorded that it is the least efficient motorway in the UK with an average speed of just 53mph.

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June 10th 1768 saw construction start on the Forth and Clyde canal, it was to take 22 years to complete.

The building of a canal across Scotland was first discussed during the reign of Charles II. It was not until the mid-1700s that the building of the Forth and Clyde Canal or “The Great Canal” as it was referred to then, became an actual possibility with funding being raised to carry out the work. The canal was to be built across the Central Belt of Scotland from east to west. The first spadeful was dug out in June 10th 1768 and the construction continued for 22 years including a 7 year period when no work was carried out due to lack of funds. It was the Canal Company’s policy to try to recruit locally to provide employment in the areas the canal crossed.

The work was hard and was manual labour with the use of picks and shovels to dig out heavy wet earth. Wages were about 10d (£0.04p) per day and the workers were a tough lot. Discipline was often hard to maintain and drink was cheap and plentiful causing various problems. Theft of tools and other equipment was common and often the workers were seasonal due to also working in the agricultural land surrounding the canal works. None the less the work was done and the canal was dug. Water was first let into the canal in 1773 when it was filled as far as Kirkintilloch, which increased this town’s profile with additional trades appearing in the area. It was 2 years later that the canal opened as far as Stockingfield, Maryhill. A cut was also made towards Glasgow as far as Hamiltonhill and then funds ran short and worked stopped for 7 years.

In 1784 work resumed when the Government of the time approved a loan of £50,000 to the Canal Company, the money coming from the Forfeited Estates Fund (a legacy of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745) and this allowed the canal to reach Bowling. The Forth and Clyde Canal was opened from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde in the summer of 1790 with the first boat navigating its channel in August of that year.

The length of the Canal from eastern sea lock to the western sea lock was 35 miles. In 1791 the Glasgow Branch was extended from Hamiltonhill to Port Dundas giving it a length of 3.5 miles. There are 39 locks to navigate on the canal with 20 locks on the eastern section the firth of Forth to Wyndford and 19 on the western section from Maryhill to Bowling on the Firth of Clyde. The canal was crossed by many bascule bridges and made use of aqueducts such as the one over the Luggie at Kirkintilloch and the river Kelvin in Glasgow.

The canal served three main purposes. It allowed seagoing vessels passage from east to west or vice versa, therefore avoiding the long passage around the north of Scotland. It provided the fast movement of goods. Agricultural produce, mineral resources and locally produced goods could be transported more easily across Scotland. It also acted as a way for travellers to move across Scotland using “Swift” boats that linked to coach services.

The Forth and Clyde Canal had an active life into the years of the Second World War though by this time railways were carrying more goods around the country. Trade was slowly falling away though transits through the canal and day tripping continued. Eventually on 1 January 1963 the Forth and Clyde Canal closed to through traffic.

As part of the millennium celebrations in 2000, National Lottery funds were used to regenerate both canals. A boat lifting device, the Falkirk Wheel, was built to connect the Union and Forth & Clyde canals and once more allow boats to travel from the Clyde or Glasgow to Edinburgh, with a new canal connection to the River Carron and hence the River Forth. The Falkirk Wheel opened on 27th May 2002 and is now a tourist attraction. The Helix project, which includes the magnificent Kelpies is also part of this ongoing regeneration.

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*23rd of October 1822 saw the Caledonian Canal linking Inverness to Fort William open to traffic.

Another one with conflicting dates, some say 30th of the month, another the 24th.

Started in 1803, the Caledonian Canal project was budgeted at £474,531 plus £15,000 for land purchases. A year later they were asked to estimate the cost of making the canal big enough to accommodate the 32-gun and 44-gun frigates of the Royal Navy. With £20,000 allocated for preparatory works and £50,000 a year after that, the canal project was programmed to take 10 years.

The section of canal from Inverness to Loch Ness was opened in the summer of 1818. This allowed the progress of the canal to move quicker as building materials could be brought up from Inverness to Fort Augustus more easily and cheaply.

Finally completed in 1822, the canal has more recently become a popular attraction for visitors and recreation users however is still run and used as a working waterway by Scottish Canals. The total cost of building the canal was £910,000

The canal runs some 60 miles (100 kilometres) from northeast to southwest and reaches 106 feet (32 metres) above sea level. Only one third of the entire length is man-made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are located in the Great Glen, on a geological fault in the Earth's crust.

There are 29 locks, including eight at Neptune's Staircase, Banavi, four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal.

The canal is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and attracts over 500,000 visitors each year.There are many ways for tourists to enjoy the canal, such as taking part in the Great Glen Rally, cycling along the tow-paths, or cruising on Hotel Barges.

I hiked part of it in 2020 camping at the canal side, there are wild camping sites that include fire pits, toilets and showers along the way. To use the facilities you “hire” a key from Scottish Canals for just £10 and use it for the duration of your journey. The key can be picked up from Corpach Sea Lock, or you can get it posted out to you.

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On 8th April 1999 the Berneray Causeway was officially opened, the stretch of road - which is just 1km long - transformed life in this area of the Outer Hebrides.

It was a drizzly and damp day as around 400 locals gathered for the historic occasion with the royal helicopter of Prince Charles, delayed by the conditions. But spirits were high as this new era of island life dawned.The causeway cost £6.6m to built and replaced the ferry which connected the two islands for generations. The new route eased up the journey for locals, allowing an smoother flow of goods and services and making it easier to get to work and school.

The April ceremony followed a celebration in December which marked the last ferry crossing.

Then Berneray’s youngest resident, Shaun Turner, aged one, and its oldest, John Macaskill, aged 89, bparded the boat to make the final trip over the Otternish, The first walk across had been in early August 1998 when the final rocks were tipped into the gap on the Ardmaree, Berneray.