In the post-Second World War period a plan was devised and outlined in two reports into how to redevelop the city of Glasgow. The Bruce Report is the name commonly given to these reports of the Glasgow Corporation (the former local authority area for the city). Both reports were authored by City Engineer Robert Bruce, lending them their collective name. The name encompasses the First Planning Report, which was published in the closing stages of the Second World War (March of 1945) and the Clyde Valley Regional Plan. These reports recommended a series of initiatives designed to transform the city over the following fifty years.

Some of these initiatives were put into practice, some were not. The reports and their implementation significantly shaped modern day Glasgow, a good example of their impact being the M8 motorway which was built following proposals in the report. During the mid-20th century much of the city's population were resettled to new towns and housing schemes also following recommendations in Bruce's reports. The civic, architectural, geographic and demographic landscape of modern Glasgow would have been radically different without the influence of these two reports. Had the Bruce Report been implemented in its entirety, the city would most likely have been totally unrecognisable to the one in place today.


Rail

As well as housing reform and recommending changes to Glasgow's road network, Bruce also suggested radical changes to Glasgow's railways. At the time of the Bruce Report, the city had four major railway stations. Central and St Enoch both served primarily southbound destinations. Queen Street and Buchanan Street mainly served northbound destinations.

In order to rationalise the city's mainline services, Bruce suggested that all four stations be demolished and replaced with two new stations. A new Glasgow North station was proposed roughly on the site of Buchanan Street station (occupying a larger area) to replace Buchanan Street and Queen Street stations. A Glasgow South station was proposed on the approximate site of Glasgow Central station to replace Central and St Enoch stations.

These plans were never implemented, and all four stations remained until the mid-1960s when the Beeching Axe reforms changed the shape of rail services across the United Kingdom. Beeching's reforms spelt the end for both Buchanan Street and St Enoch stations which closed, effectively rationalising rail services in the city along similar lines to Bruce's two station plan, but without requiring the demolition of four stations and construction of two new ones. Beeching's reforms also removed low level services from Glasgow Central station in 1964, but these were partly reintroduced in 1979.


Glasgow North

The plan for Glasgow North Station, drawn up in 1951, set out a scheme whereby Buchanan Street and Queen Street stations were to be closed and a new station was to be built in their place. This station would have been built on land mostly including the site of Buchanan Street Station, although would have been many times larger. Queen Street High Level would've been closed and the lines into the station diverted into the new station at the top of the Cowlairs incline at Sighthill. The Buchanan Street tunnel would have been opened up and the tracks into the station increased from two to four. Bruce's plan would also have seen a new bus station built on the Queen Street High Level site, with the Queen Street Low Level railway station remaining to provide suburban services and to connect the new bus station to the rail network. The images below show the before and after plans for Glasgow North.