The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire.

Named for Glasgow's Argyle Street, the line uses the earlier cut-and-cover tunnel running beneath that thoroughfare.

[2] On 1 November 1979, Elizabeth II officially opened the Argyle Line (in conjunction with the inauguration of the modernised Glasgow Subway), with services commencing four days later.

[3][4] This joint venture between British Rail and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE)[5] comprised a tunnel diversion and reopening the 4.5-mile (7.2 km) Stobcross–Rutherglen low-level line.

The already electrified North Clyde Line northwest of Partick and West Coast Main Line (WCML) southeast of Rutherglen were linked by laying double tracks and installing overhead electrical wiring along the disused section that had separated these networks.

[9] Finnieston West Junction–Dalmarnock is sub-surface: In Winter 1994, the River Kelvin breached its banks releasing a deluge into the Exhibition Centre–Argyle Street section to a depth of more than 3 metres (10 ft), trapping two trains, and resulting in a nine-month closure.

This steep incline originally gave access to the sidings at Queen's Dock from the Stobcross Railway.

Class 380s used to operate the line from 2014 to 2019 covering Lanark services when they first ran into Central High Level.