An ambitious plan to extend the Glasgow subway system towards the
east of the city has been unveiled by Strathclyde Partnership for
Transport (SPT).
The plan is one of ten options for the future of the subway made by
Atkins in a look at the long term strategy for the system.
Of the ten options, the officers of SPT recommend two for
consideration by the SPT partnership, which will meet to discuss the
findings this Friday.
The first is option two of the Atkins report, the Subway enhancement
case, which would modernise the present system with new trains,
enhanced stations and more park and ride facilities. The indicative
cost for this option has been put at £270m.
Option nine of the Atkins report is also recommended, which would
build upon the enhancement option by extending the Subway east with
stations at St Mungo’s, Duke Street, Celtic Park and Dalmarnock, which
would interchange with the existing subway at Bridge Street, St Enoch
and Buchanan Street stations.
The indicative cost for this development is £2.3bn, and it is
recommended that further investigation be undertaken to establish
robust costs and whether the phased development, or other means of
developing transport links, would be more cost effective.
Councillor Alistair Watson, the chair of SPT, said: “The Atkins
report provides an important base line to measure where we go from
here. If Glasgow aspires to be a major European city then we need
ambition to create a world class transport system to match that.
“These are proposals at this stage – nothing more. However, I
believe it is imperative that the current subway system is modernised
and extended eastwards. We need now for the 21st century the vision of
the city fathers from the 19th century, who gave Glasgow one of the
most advanced transport systems in the world.”
There are two other options from Atkins for the future development
of the subway which have been recommended as further investigation, but
are not being presented to the partnership as priorities – an extension
to Maryhill along a former railway route, which may be an option for
later development, and an enhanced bus link from the Govan subway
station to Paisley, which is recommended for further consideration at a
later date dependent on how the proposed Clyde Fastlink rapid bus
service proceeds.
Amongst the options not recommended were an extension of the subway
to the south of the city to meet with the Cathcart circle railway
route, a ‘do minimum’ case, and a case which examined the removal of
the subway.
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