The Glasgow Subway.

[T163R]

Hi there,

As some of you already know, I've been to UK this summer. I've been to various cities, including Glasgow. So I tested the Glasgow Subway, which I won't qualify as useless, but...

Well what's a decent subway system without a station in Queen Street or Central ? I know there are two subway stations near QS and GC, but I only remember walking 20 minutes in pouring rain to link the subway to GC.

Also, I remember walking 40 minutes from Glasgow Docks to Cessnock, and looking for the Cessnock station for 10 or more minutes. Finding a Glasgow Subway station is hellish.

So SPT is happy enough to say it's one of the oldest subway systems in the world, but it's certainly not the most useful IMO. The line doesn't even go through the city centre (except at some places like Buchanan Street).
I can understand that the line was done to bring people from the suburbs to the city centre, but if the line was reliable enough, it would need more than 3 cars per train and it would have less empty seats.

Debate open.

 

[Liam]

Well what's a decent subway system without a station in Queen Street or Central ? I know there are two subway stations near QS and GC, but I only remember walking 20 minutes in pouring rain to link the subway to GC.

Where did you get off? St Enoch is about 5 minutes walk from Central Station. Buchanan Street has a travelator link to Queen Street.

 

[T163R]

Where did you get off? St Enoch is about 5 minutes walk from Central Station. Buchanan Street has a travelator link to Queen Street.

It was Buchanan Street I think.

 

[exile]

When it was built it linked the middle class areas of the West End with the business district and the main stations (Buchanan St, St Enoch, Queen St, Central). As the city centre has lost population, passenger numbers have declined. To extend it would be extremely expensive, as with all underground systems.

 

[T163R]

When it was built it linked the middle class areas of the West End with the business district and the main stations (Buchanan St, St Enoch, Queen St, Central). As the city centre has lost population, passenger numbers have declined. To extend it would be extremely expensive, as with all underground systems.

Would it be acceptable/intelligent to create a tramway line / network ?

 

[Liam]

It was Buchanan Street I think.

Should have gotten off at St Enoch. Come up the stairs, onto Argyle Street, turn left, Central Station is right in front of you. Can't miss it.

 

[T163R]

Should have gotten off at St Enoch. Come up the stairs, onto Argyle Street, turn left, Central Station is right in front of you. Can't miss it.

It's still not as convenient as London Charing Cross or London Cannon Street. Especially when it's pouring (remember it's Scotland ). London Fenchurch Street has a lot to learn too

 

[12CSVT]

Trying to locate Kelvinhall station is like looking for a needle in a haystack

 

[umontu]

There were plans to extend the line in some format for the commonwealth games but nothing much seems to have come about. It doesn't really compare to London's underground or Paris' metro it has to be said.
Even the metrolink has a more comprehensive coverage of its city.

 

[WestCoast]

Would it be acceptable/intelligent to create a tramway line / network ?

Perhaps, although the Glasgow area already has a large surburban rail network (the largest in the UK after London?). That's not to say that at tramway wouldn't be useful, but I doubt the Government in Scotland will want to approve another tram project after what has happened in Edinburgh. Getting a tramway planned, funded and built is not a very easy thing to do in the UK, there aren't many networks compared to other countries since many old tramways were replaced by buses in the 1950s/1960s.

 

[WestCoast]

I enjoyed a video of the system prior the the 1980s overhaul, I think it is somewhere on Youtube.

 

[umontu]

I enjoyed a video of the system prior the the 1980s overhaul, I think it is somewhere on Youtube.

This one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f23s4Xbqnek

 

[Ze Random One]

With regards to Queen Street station, you must have taken a wrong turn. Buchanan Street subway is so close, that they share an entrance cover, as can be seen here
http://g.co/maps/g3kb7
Walk out of the Dundas Street exit from Queen Street, and the entry to the subway is almost directly in front of you, under the same roof, and quite clearly marked.
The extensive tunnelling and concourse changes that would be required to have an inside walkway here would be far far more expensive than the benefit, especially since the walkway is already covered.
I fail to see how that is different from Lyon Perrache or Lyon Part Dieu which have the same issue.

I agree that it is harder to find St Enoch subway if you have entered Glasgow Central on the high-level platforms (main line). If you exit via the Low-level concourse onto Argyle Street, you are only a three minute walk (if that) from St Enoch.

In the view here: http://g.co/maps/kz9ud
you can see the entrance to St Enoch subway. If you rotate the view 90 degrees to the right, so you face west rather than south ( http://g.co/maps/e9fnw ) you can see the façade of Central Station, and the low level concourse is underneath the main line platforms there.
I make it a 250m walk.

It should be noted though, that in Glasgow, the RER-style commuter train services are much more extensive and more heavily used than the subway, due to reasons already discussed. I would even go so far to suggest that the commuter train services perform the bulk of that which would be done by a metro system in France. The commuter trains are far more frequent, and cover far more of the urban area than anything that TER would run, even in Lyon or Marseille. This means that the main long distance to suburban connection that is used is between the high level and low level stations.

I should also note that a shuttle runs between Queen Street and Central, free for rail ticket holders
http://www.scotrail.co.uk/trainconnections

 

[317 forever]

I'm going to Glasgow later this month for the first time in 5 years. I have the feeling the trains were refurbished about 2-3 years ago, in which case I look forward to riding one. Partick is one of the most interesting stations for intersecting with electric ScotRail trains and quite a few buses.