GlasgowWorld had the opportunity to take a journey on the new Glasgow subway trains which were first introduced into the system last month.
They are strictly only running on the outer circle at the moment with more trains to be phased into the underground system during 2024.
Speaking about the modernisation of the Subway, SPT Project Director, Mark Toner said: “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.”
1. New Glasgow Subway carriages
The new trains are the same length and size as the existing ones but are now a four-car set, as opposed to the current three-car set, with open gangways to maximise the space available.
2. New Glasgow Subway carriages
SPT entered the first of the new trains into the system for their maiden passenger trip on December 11 2023. More new trains will be also introduced during 2024.
3. New Glasgow Subway carriages
All the new trains have had to be custom made due to the unique size of Glasgow Subway. Still to come is the introduction of the new operational control centre which will be key to improving the availability and reliability of passenger service.
4. New Glasgow Subway
They will also be introducing platform screen doors (PSDs) to station platforms. These will be ‘half height’ to preserve as much space and openness within the stations as possible while still maintaining passenger safety and security. Once these key milestones have been reached, they can them look to introduce Unattended Train Operation (UTO) or ‘driverless’ trains to the system.