GLASGOW'S Subway is getting an £8million boost to make it safer, brighter and easier to use.
GLASGOW'S Subway is getting an £8million boost to make it safer, brighter and easier to use.
The Underground, which had 14.5million passengers last year, is a vital lifeline for the city but has not seen major investment over the years.
Now all that is changing as the Clockwork Orange rolls into the 21st century.
David Wallace has been director of subway operations for only a year but is determined the world's third-olde st underground will get a dramatic facelift.
East End line next stop for SPT bossesTHE £8million improvements could be just the start of a better city Subway if transport bosses get their way. The SPT also hopes to build a new line linking the SECC in the west to St Enoch and through to Bridgeton and Parkhead in the east - in time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. A new station would be built at Celtic Park, near the planned sites of the Commonwealth Games village and National Indoor Arena. SPT chairman Alistair Watson said work on the extension could start by 2010 and be finished in time for the Games but will need financial backing from the Scottish Government. It is estimated it could cost up to £210m. Consultants will spend 18 months looking at whether it is possible to use existing underground tunnels - unused since the Beeching rail cuts of the 1960s - and calculating how much the project would cost. Previous plans for a separate circle to the East End with stations at St Mungo's, Onslow, Duke Street, Celtic Park, Dalmarnock, Newhall and Gorbals were put on hold after consultants estimated it would cost a massive £2.3bn to build. |
Around £8million is to be spent over the next couple of years on a range of measures to improve passenger safety, provide better facilities and make stations brighter and more attractive.
Mr Wallace said: "We want passenger numbers to increase over the next few years so cleanliness, safety and security are our top target areas for improvements.
"People will soon see changes that will make the Subway a decent 21st century system."
Among the radical improvements being launched by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, which runs the network, are: lA £4m new "smart card" ticket system which will use similar technology to the hugely popular London Oyster card lToughened glass safety panels at Hillhead and Ibrox costing £500,000 lA £1.8m upgrade of carriages l£300,000 on a new public address system lMore energy efficient lighting which will be 300% brighter lNew equipment to make it easier to wash and clean the trains lMore CCTV cameras The smart card will allow passengers to top up their card with cash and use it to get through new entrance gates to be installed at each of the Subway's 15 stations.
The first cards could be available towards the end of next year and will operate alongside the existing ticket for a couple of years.
It is hoped the swipe card will be extended to include train and bus operators making it easier for passengers to travel without separate tickets.
Mr Wallace said: "We thought about doing a big bang but felt it would be too much of a culture change so decided instead on a gradual transition."
Work will start soon on installing the toughened glass safety panels, similar to the ones in Buchanan Street station.
Subway bosses say they not only make people feel safer but help to control the flow of passengers at busy stations.
The upgrade of the subway carriages, which has already started, will see them all given a bright new look.
The floor and the carriage is turning carmine red and cream, the upholstery is also turning carmine and the handrails will all become orange.
The bright handrails and improved lighting, currently being trialled at Cowcaddens and Cessnock, are being introduced to make it easier for visually impaired people.
The new public address system will make it far easier for passengers to hear updates on travel as the current one is almost impossible to decipher.
Mr Wallace is looking at introducing TV screens in each train compartment to let people know which station they are approaching.
They would also be able to provide security information and advertising space.
Around £2.6m will be spent this year installing a new radio system on trains - which as well as improving staff communication will also benefit the police, fire and ambulance services in the event of an accident.
At present they cannot contact their control rooms when operating underground but in future will be able to do so by linking into the new radio system.
Mr Wallace said: "The new system is vital for safety but is one of the things the public will not notice."
Ticket offices are being refurbished and SPT hopes to give passengers more information such as bus timetables and rail information to assist people making connecting journeys.
British transport police are already a seven-day-a-week presence on the trains and security will be further stepped up with more CCTV cameras being added to the 250 already in place.
Around £750,000 will be spent on new equipment to wash the trains.
As well as the work in the pipeline, SPT has already responded to complaints about escalators not working and train doors that jam.
It has repaired the station ticket machines - which in the past were out of order more often than they worked - and opened the new Shields Road car park.
Mr Wallace said: "Park and ride numbers are up 80,000 this year because people recognise that £4.20 for a park and ride return journey is the best value for money you'll get anywhere.
"It's an exciting time to be working on the Subway."
