07.03.16
Swiss-Italian consortium awarded £200m Glasgow subway trains deal
New Glasgow subway trains have been unveiled as part of a £200m contract awarded to the Stadler Bussnang AG/Ansaldo STS Consortium by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).
The trains, which can run driverless, are designed to accommodate the unique dimensions of Glasgow’s subway, but with four-car sets instead of three.
They will have new ‘half height’ platform screen doors to preserve as much space and openness within the stations as possible while still maintaining passenger safety and security, and open gangways to maximise the space available and allow for wheelchair access at St Enoch and Govan stations.
Jonathan Finlay, SPT chair, said: “The SPT Partnership Board is delighted at this award of contract which continues the great work that our staff has been engaged in over the last few years modernising our Subway Stations and infrastructure.
“The new rolling stock will provide the travelling public with a much improved journey experience and the system will be more flexible in terms of frequency and availability.”
Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler and Ansaldo, the Italian signalling specialist, will also replace the subway’s signalling and control systems to accommodate the new trains.
Last year RTM interviewed Charlie Hoskins, senior director at SPT, about the ongoing upgrade of the Glasgow subway.
In 2015, Hitachi Ltd acquired AnsaldoBreda and Finmeccanica’s 40% stake in Ansaldo STS.