Constructed in 1849 by the Caledonian Railway Company as its main terminus for the city, the original station buildings consisted of supposedly temporary wooden structures, which lasted until the 1930s.

The station was earmarked for closure and replacement in the "Bruce Report", which made proposals for the redevelopment of Glasgow after the Second World War.

The decision was therefore taken by British Railways to move all of the station's services to Queen Street, despite its smaller physical size and capacity constraints.

It acted as the headquarters of BR's Scottish Region (later ScotRail), as well as successor organisations Railtrack and Network Rail until the early 2000s.

The south portal can still be found located behind the campus of Glasgow Caledonian University and Buchanan House, but it is now sealed off and all access is prohibited.