RETIRED engineers whose vision for a Glasgow Airport monorail reignited a debate over the infrastructure have unveiled an updated design incorporating a spur link to Paisley.
Brothers John and Jim Beckett believe a 1.2 mile-long monorail connecting the airport terminal to Paisley Gilmour Street station could be constructed within two years for a “fraction” of the predicted cost of the proposed tram-train link.
READ MORE: Channel Tunnel engineer unveils plans for high-speed monorail to Glasgow Airport
They say the monorail, which would duck beneath the M8 viaduct and run south along the White Cart Water riverbed, could be completed as a “phase one” option to allow direct travel between the airport and Paisley in around four to five minutes at an estimated cost of £70 million.
The brothers stress the route would not require any significant land purchases, bridges or tunnels, and there would be no disruption to the M8 or the potential timetable clashes facing the tram-train hybrid.
However, the Becketts stress the Paisley link should be an “optional extra” – not an alternative – to their original £300m Clyde Monorail plan, which envisages a seven-mile elevated monorail line north from the airport to the exterior of Glasgow Central via stops at Renfrew, Braehead shopping centre, the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Riverside transport museum and the SECC.
READ MORE: Channel Tunnel engineer unveils plans for high-speed monorail to Glasgow Airport
John Beckett, 77, from Bothwell, said there was “no question” their light single-track monorail to Paisley could be built more quickly and more cheaply than the other options being considered by Renfrewshire and Glasgow councils.
Mr Beckett, who founded a successful engineering software company, said: “I think you’re talking two years from start to finish, including planning. People build monorails for exhibitions, as temporary structures. That’s been done very often – and here you’re only talking a couple of kilometres.”
The councils are currently weighing up two light-rail options – a tram-train hybrid and personal rapid transit “pods” – ahead of a final decision in December, when they will seek City Deal funding for an airport link.
READ MORE: Channel Tunnel engineer unveils plans for high-speed monorail to Glasgow Airport
The tram-train, understood to be the favoured option, is expected to cost £144m and be up and running by 2025. It would combine a newly-constructed light-rail line from the airport to Paisley, where trams would join the existing heavy rail infrastructure and continue non-stop to Glasgow Central.
A feasibility study previously raised concerns over a lack of spare capacity on the line and platform space at Central – problems the monorail would not need to overcome. However, the councils dismissed the Becketts’ proposals last month as “not viable”.
“It’s not surprising to us,” said Mr Beckett, whose brother Jim was a design director for the Channel Tunnel. “Yes, we would be disappointed if the whole thing was just kicked into touch – but we recognise what we’re up against.”
They had hoped to drum up support from organisations along the route, such as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital can be reached only by road and has been at the centre of a row over parking shortages, but a spokesman for the health board said the
facility was “already well served by public transport”, with bus routes including the dedicated Fastlink services.
READ MORE: Channel Tunnel engineer unveils plans for high-speed monorail to Glasgow Airport
A spokeswoman for the City Deal bid team said the Becketts’ ideas were “always interesting”, but stressed the proposed tram-train route direct to Central via Gilmour Street would “create an attractive option for travellers in the wider City Region” and “deliver local benefits to the airport and its employees”.
She added: “Experience shows that passengers are less likely to use a service that involves changing trains mid-journey.
“Any proposal that involved leaving Gilmour Street Station to wait for and board another transport system is likely to be less attractive to passengers and less financially viable.”
The plans can be seen at: www.clydemonorail.co.uk
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