MSP calls for Glasgow Botanic Gardens station to open as tourist attraction following Batgirl filming

An MSP has called for the abandoned Botanic Gardens train station to be utilised as a tourist attraction.

The station is currently being used as a set for HBO Max production Catgirl.

Earlier this week a prop train carriage was seen being transported to the former transport hub via a railway tunnel running under Great Western Road.

And now Labour & Co-op MSP Paul Sweeney has called for the station to remain open to the public when filming ends.

Speaking to Glasgow Live he said: “It’s excellent to see the old railway tunnels in the west end of Glasgow being unlocked to film scenes from the new Batgirl movie.

“Given that it is the first time the old Botanic Gardens station will have been in use for over 80 years, it would be a shame to see it sealed away once filming has finished. That’s why I have suggested that the station be reopened as an attraction for tourists and Glaswegians alike bringing much needed revenue into the city”.

Sweeney also indicated that it was time to consider reopening train stations and attaching them to the current Glasgow Metro system.

He said: “Glasgow is one of the only cities in the UK with a functioning subway system, but we could do so much more with the infrastructure that already exists. Throughout the city including the West End, Springburn and Possilpark, and areas in the East End have old railway routes that were closed in the 1960s.

“It would be wonderful to see them reopened as part of a proposed new Glasgow Metro system and I hope that the Scottish Government will announce more details about the metro rail system in Parliament on Thursday (January 20). The benefits to the public of excavating, upgrading and making Glasgow’s disused railways as part of our 21st century public transport infrastructure are obvious.

“As someone who has a great passion for Glasgow’s infrastructure and architecture, it is heartening to see so many Glaswegians interacting with the topic and it seems as though the filming has inadvertently placed a spotlight on the future of Glasgow’s public infrastructure.

“That can only be a good thing, and I would encourage everyone who could benefit from the upgrading of our infrastructure to a world-class Glasgow Metro rail system to engage constructively with that discussion as it continues in the coming weeks and months.”