Clyde Metro: Glasgow Airport - Glasgow Central Station Clyde Metro direct link cancelled

A direct link between Glasgow Central Station and Glasgow Airport will not be included as part of the Clyde Metro system councillors have been advised.

Members of the City Administration Committee were asked to approve funding of £12.5 million to push forward plans that will help develop the 30-year project which looks to connect more than 1.5 million to employment, education and health services across the city.

The money was previously set aside from the Glasgow Airport Access project which was scrapped in 2018 because of “feasibility reasons”. 

Plans had included a direct link from Central Station to their airport, but while the project will still ink up the two major transport hubs, it was determined that a direct link this would have had an impact on train services.

During the meeting councillor Saqib Ahmed said: “Have any meetings taken place between Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council to determine the plans for the Glasgow Airport rail link?”

Council leader and chairwoman of the committee Susan Aitken informed members that this project had been incorporated into the wider Clyde Metro project. 

Councillor Aitken said: “The original Glasgow Airport access project which had money allocated to it ten years ago was deemed a regional project but jointly led by Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council.

“That project has now been superseded and has been incorporated into the wider Clyde Metro project. "

In 2018 a report indicated that the original Glasgow Airport access project was not feasible, nor deliverable within the budget allocated. 

Councillor Aitken continued: “It would have extracted value from Inverclyde.

“The plan as it was set out to have a fixed link run between Glasgow Central Station and the airport with no other stops would actually have removed capacity at Central Station to the extent that it would have impacted on train services to other parts of the city region and Inverclyde in particular.

“It would have had a detrimental impact on their local economy. A decision was made at that time that was not a feasible project.

“At the same the connectivity commission had produced its report which had put forward fairly detailed plans for a new metro system which would link up our public transport modes and have the airport as one of the key hubs that could be served.”