Glasgow Subway passengers have had a sneak peek at the future of their commute as the first of the new trains entered service.
The custom-built trains which have been designed and manufactured by Stadler, are the same length as the existing ones and designed to fit the Glasgow Subway’s unique specifications including a unique narrow track gauge and smaller tunnel diameters.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) project director Mark Toner said: "We're delighted with how well the trains have performed and that our passengers were so happy to see them.
"Our old fleet has performed beyond its expected lifespan, and it's becoming increasingly challenging to maintain them.
“This new fleet will take time to grow towards its full capability and reliability levels but now that the first two trains have been introduced, passengers will have the opportunity to see them intermittently and experience for themselves as they run alongside our existing fleet over the coming months. More new trains will also be introduced during 2024.”
The new trains are part of a multi-million-pound investment to modernise the Glasgow Subway, which is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world. Work is still to be completed on the subway’s signalling and communications system alongside the installation of a brand new operational control centre as part of a £200 million contract with a consortium of suppliers including Stadler and Hitachi Rail.
SPT also plan to introduce platform screen doors (PSD’s) at the stations, which are currently planned to be ‘half-height’ to preserve as much openness on the platforms.
Mr Toner added: “There are still a couple of challenging key milestones to be reached before we can say Subway modernisation is complete.
“I understand for passengers the new trains are the most important part of the programme as it is something tangible they can see. However, this a brand new, complex state-of-art system going into a very old network and that does frustratingly for us all, take time to deliver.
“We are still some way off seeing platform screen doors added to all stations which will be the next big thing for passengers before we have the option of moving to driverless trains.”
Photo Credit: SPT
