Bridge Street Station – South of the river Clyde, the O2 Academy, the Sheriff Court and the Glasgow Mosque
Lying directly south of the City Centre, Bridge Street station is the first station you meet if you head from town across the River Clyde. The station itself is relatively isolated, sitting on one side by the busy Bridge Street and surrounded by a car park.
The key to understanding its location is to follow Bridge Street road up to the famous Jamaica Bridge, one of two main routes over the River Clyde. Bridge Street leads on to a network of roads serving the south and south-east of the city and Bridge Street is effectively the most south-easterly tip of the network. While nowhere near as busy as the M8 fed Shields Road, the station at Bridge Street does serve as a small transit and parking point.
Bridge Street serves a number of key locations in Glasgow. The Sheriff Court of Glasgow is on the south bank of the Clyde and within easy walking distance of the station. Likewise it is immediately adjacent to the Glasgow Central Mosque and also the Citizens Theatre. The Gorbals push east from Bridge Street, an area that, while receiving extensive investment and development is still not adverse to the occasional tower block.
The popular and historically significant venue, the O2 Academy, is one block south of the station. This sizable venue hosts many well-respected bands from various genres and it is not an uncommon sight to see waves of fans streaming in to a gig there. It’s also an interesting building with a somewhat Americana look and feel, although it’s fairly dilapidated. A case of not judging a book by its cover is needed here as once you’re inside, it’s a fantastic venue. One of those quirky places on the subway circle.
It is just a ten minute walk to the substantial Premier Inn complex, just beyond the mosque. There is also a casino right across the Clyde, under the railway bridge if you’re feeling lucky. The view from the south bank of the river is impressive at night when illuminated and there are a number of pleasant walks along the Clyde, when it’s not hoofing it down with rain!
The station itself has a straightforward middle platform configuration. The station is compact yet bright, definitely lacking the size and grandeur of a Partick or Govan. However, the glass sided staircase is an interesting feature.
Outside, the station sits like an island in the car park, well back from the road. The car park is not huge but can take a reasonable amount of cars. You are fairly close to the City Centre anyway, so there is a strong argument for not bothering with the subway and just dumping the car here and walking it. If you are heading to the south east of the city, Queens Park or Hampden Park for example, you are better travelling by train to Mount Florida.
For subcrawlers, the Laurieston Bar is one of those must-do spots. The interior is classic Glaswegian boozer and for those looking to find some original parts of Glasgow, it doesn’t come much more original than this. A very good stop if this is the first port of call from town, or a final old school pub to finish up, if you went the other way. No real takeaway of note round here but it’s not usually needed either way.
On the whole, Bridge Street is a fairly quiet, isolated station but certainly one that serves a number of important Glasgow landmarks.