I NOTE Margaret Taylor’s recent article ("The Glasgow Metro plan is bold, ambitious – and vital”, The Herald, April 30).
The current £288 million Subway modernisation programme will see the introduction of brand new state-of-the-art trains with a new communication and signalling system; the complete refurbishment of all 15 stations by 2020, of which 13 have already been done; and has introduced new Smartcard ticketing technology adopted by ScotRail and many bus operators across the west of Scotland. All of this is being achieved while we continue to transport around 40,000 passengers round the system daily.
The article, which refers to “several Subway stations have been scrubbed up in recent years”, completely dismisses this quarter-billion-pound modernisation programme which avoided the real prospect of Subway closure. Despite many plans over many decades to extend the Subway, none has been funded. Setting aside the substantial costs involved, the technical considerations are also immense. The Subway could not, under current regulations, be extended at its current 4ft gauge which is unique throughout the world. Any “extension” would in effect be the introduction of a new Subway, built to a modern standard gauge and tunnel size, which would not directly link with the current one.
On the wider issues there is much in the Glasgow Connectivity Commission’s report to welcome. The scale and scope of its ambition provides a positive boost to the case for investment in the west of Scotland. However, as the Commission itself points out, its proposals are based on previous studies, many in fact based on work completed by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and partners such as Strathclyde Tram, the West of Scotland Conurbation Public Transport Study and rail links across the city via tunnel or CrossRail as well as to the airport, but not progressed because of lack of funding.
With our 12 regional local authority and funding partners, SPT is ready to play its part in realising an ambitious transport future for the good of passengers throughout the West of Scotland.
Councillor Dr Martin Bartos,
Chair of SPT,
Glasgow G2.
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