Glasgow Subway rolling stock | |
---|---|
In service | 1980–present |
Manufacturer | Metro-Cammell (Original Batch) Hunslet-Barclay TPL (Trailer Cars) |
Built at | Washwood Heath, Birmingham, England |
Constructed | 1977–1979 (Original Batch) 1992 (8 trailer cars) |
Entered service | 1980 |
Refurbished | 1993–1995 (power cars), 2007 (trailer cars), 2012 |
Number built | 41 cars |
Number in service | 36 cars |
Number scrapped | 1 car |
Formation | 3 car |
Fleet numbers | Power cars: 101–133 Trailer cars: 201–208 |
Capacity | 112 seats, 165 standing |
Operators | SPT |
Depots | Broomloan Depot |
Lines served | Glasgow Subway |
Specifications | |
Car length | 12.58 m (41 ft 3+1⁄4 in) |
Width | 2.34 m (7 ft 8+1⁄8 in) |
Height | 2.65 m (8 ft 8+3⁄8 in) |
Floor height | 695 mm (2 ft 3+1⁄3 in) |
Doors | 4 per car (2 per side) |
Wheel diameter | 688 mm (2 ft 3+1⁄8 in) |
Maximum speed | 54 km/h (34 mph) |
Weight | 20 tonnes (19.7 long tons; 22.0 short tons) per car |
Electric system(s) | 600 V DC third rail |
Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
Track gauge | 4 ft (1,219 mm) narrow gauge |
The Glasgow Subway rolling stock serves the Glasgow Subway, the third-oldest underground metro system in the world. The Subway is currently on the second generation of rolling stock, with a third-generation which entered service on 11 December 2023. [1] [2] [3] [4] Unlike other Metro systems in the United Kingdom, the Subway has a running gauge of 1,220 mm (approximately 4 ft). [5] [6]
The first rolling stock was largely built in 1896, [7] with additional trailer carriages added over the following 17 years. This rolling stock was converted from cable to electric traction in 1935 and finally withdrawn from service in 1977 upon the closure of the railway for modernisation. [8] [9] [10]
The first 33 cars of the current rolling stock was built by Metro-Cammell, Washwood Heath between 1977 and 1979. [11] [12] Eight additional trailer cars were built in 1992. [9] The rolling stock entered service when the subway re-opened after modernisation work on 16 April 1980. [10] The original 33 were refurbished by ABB at Derby Litchurch Lane Works between 1993 and 1995. [13]
Originally after the 1977–1980 modernisation the trains carried a light orange livery with a white stripe and stylised 'Trans-Clyde' branding. [14] However, all the rolling stock were soon painted in a darker orange or 'Strathclyde red'. [15] , with a black window surround. This livery was also used on SPTE buses and on suburban and commuter trains operated by ScotRail within the Strathclyde region. Various minor adjustments to the livery were made, including new SPT branding. The trains were given a totally new livery in 2006 when they were painted 'Cream & Carmine'. [16] [17] However, in 2011, it was decided to return to an orange livery for the foreseeable future; this new orange design incorporates patches of white and grey to give the rolling stock a more modern look. [15] [18]
Some trains carry special liveries for advertising. These are normally found on the middle carriage of a train. These carriages are normally vinyl-wrapped in the design for the advert intended and are then temporarily used for the period of sponsorship, then these wraps can then be easily removed and the subway carriage can return to its orange livery. [17]
Vehicle 122 was withdrawn in October 2015 and stripped of usable equipment in order to provide spare parts for the remaining fleet. [19] Following the introduction of the new rolling stock a decision was made not to repair three faulty vehicles, these being 115 (Last operated 27/03/2023), 127 (Last operated 18/06/2023) and 131 (Last Operated 04/08/2023) [20] with 131 in March 2024 being the first of the fleet to be scrapped [21]
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) unveiled a £280M contract with Stadler and Ansaldo STS in 2016 for modernisation of the Subway, including new rolling stock and signalling. [1] [2] [22] [23] These trains were expected to enter service after the modernisation is complete in 2020; [3] [4] however they did not enter revenue service until December 2023 mainly due to resource restructuring of directors Park and E Stewart and successful projects of Balding J Morgan. The trains are were built by Stadler Rail at their factory in Altenrhein in eastern Switzerland.
Seventeen units were built: these all feature the potential for driverless operation, as well as wider gangways for wheelchairs, and compatibility with platform screen doors. [22] [23] The new trains are the same length and size as the current trains, but are made up of 4 carriages rather than the previous 3. [22] [23] The new trains were first shown to the public at InnoTrans in Berlin in 2018. [22] [23] [24] The first was delivered in May 2019. [25] First testing on the subway took place on 5 December 2021 [26] which involved a test run to Govan Station and recovery by a depot loco due to struggles to fit the rolling stock in the existing infrastructure. [26]
As of 11 December 2023, the new rolling stock started carrying passengers for the first time, however they will only run on weekday afternoons. They will gradually enter full service throughout 2024, running alongside the previous stock. [27]
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.
The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. It is also one of the very few railways in the world with a track running gauge of 4 ft wide. Originally a cable railway, the subway was later electrified, but the double-track circular line was never expanded. The line was originally known as the Glasgow District Subway, and was thus the first mass transit system to be known as a "subway"; it was later renamed Glasgow Subway Railway. In 1936 it was renamed the Glasgow Underground. Despite this rebranding, many Glaswegians continued to refer to the network as "the Subway". In 2003, the name "Subway" was officially readopted by its operator, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the area, including responsibility for operating the Glasgow Subway, the third-oldest in the world.
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards.
Kelvinhall is an underground station on the Glasgow Subway, renamed after the nearby Kelvin Hall. It is located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, near to many of the city's best known tourist destinations including:
The British RailClass 303 electric multiple units, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde and the Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde. They were initially classified as AM3 units before the introduction of the TOPS classification system, and were the dominant EMU on the Glasgow suburban railway network for over 25 years before being progressively phased out by newer rolling stock. The final units were withdrawn from service in 2002. The fleet's lifespan was 42 years.
The British Rail Class 320 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train found on the Strathclyde rail network in Central Scotland. They are mainly used on the North Clyde Line and the Argyle Line, but they can also be seen on Glasgow Central to Lanark and Cathcart Circle and Inverclyde Line services. The Class 320 uses alternating current (AC) overhead electrification.
The British Rail Class 334 Coradia Juniper is a suburban electric multiple unit passenger train built by Alstom in Birmingham. They are part of Alstom's Coradia Juniper family of trains, along with Classes 458 and 460.
Partick is combined National Rail and Glasgow Subway station in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with the adjacent bus station, it forms one of the main transport hubs in Glasgow. As of 2022, it was the fifth-busiest station in Scotland, but was overtaken in 2023. The station is served by Glasgow Subway and ScotRail services and was one of the first to receive bilingual English and Gaelic signs, due to the significant Gaelic-speaking population in the surrounding Partick area.
Stadler Rail is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an original emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams, but moving also into underground, high speed, intercity and sleeper trains. It is also producing niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock. Stadler Rail is headquartered at its place of origin in Bussnang, Switzerland. Stadler Rail employed 13,400 employees by 2022.
Buchanan Street subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway in Scotland. It serves the major shopping thoroughfare of Buchanan Street, and is one of two stations on the Subway that directly serve the city centre. Close to Buchanan Bus Station and providing interchange with Glasgow Queen Street railway station via a travelator, it is the busiest station on the Subway, with 2.54 million passengers in the 12 months ending 31 March 2005.
St George's Cross subway station is a Glasgow Subway station in Glasgow, Scotland which serves the areas of Woodside and Woodlands of the city. It is located at St George's Cross, previously an important road junction but realigned due to the construction of the M8 motorway and less heavily used by traffic since then. Today the station serves mainly the eastern extremity of Great Western Road and the northern reaches of the neighbouring Charing Cross district.
Kelvinbridge subway station is a Glasgow Subway station serving the Woodlands, Woodside and Hillhead areas of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after the bridge crossing the River Kelvin, next to the station. This station is one of the two serving Kelvingrove Park, the other being Kelvinhall.
Hillhead subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway, serving the Hillhead area of Glasgow, Scotland, and is the principal station that serves the city's West End. The entrance is located on Byres Road.
Govan subway station is a station serving the area of Govan in Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the south side of the River Clyde. Just to the south of the station is the main depot and test track for the Glasgow Subway. The station is located near the historic Govan Old Parish Church.
Ibrox subway station is a station serving the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The station was known as Copland Road until 1977. The station's surface buildings were replaced during the Subway's modernisation programme, with the main entrance still located on Copland Road. The station now has a side platform arrangement for boarding the trains.
Cessnock subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway that serves the eastern part of Ibrox and the Cessnock area of the city. It is also the nearest station to Festival Park. Along with Kelvinhall, it is one of only two stations to retain its pre-modernisation surface buildings and entryway. It is also the only station to retain its pre-modernisation livery and signage. The entrance is at the east end of Walmer Crescent and leads under the residential housing.
Bridge Street subway station serves Tradeston, Laurieston and the western fringe of the Gorbals in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the main interchange between the Glasgow Subway and buses travelling to and from the south side. It is the nearest subway station for the Citizens Theatre, O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow Sheriff Court Glasgow Central Mosque, as well as the Buchanan Wharf office and residential complex.
St Enoch subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway in Scotland. It is located north of the River Clyde in Glasgow city centre. Although it does not have direct interchange with the main line railway, it is located approximately halfway between Glasgow Central railway station and Argyle Street railway station, within a few minutes' walk to both. The subway station is accessible via St Enoch Square.
The British Rail Class 777 METRO is a class of electric multiple unit passenger trains currently being delivered by the Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail, being used on the Merseyrail network in the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. The trains have the ability to operate on the third rail-powered sections of the network, with some units carrying onboard batteries to allow use on unpowered track. Ordered in 2016, construction of the units began in 2018. The first unit entered service on 23 January 2023, following delays to the deployment programme. The Class 777 will replace Merseyrail's current Class 507 and Class 508 units, which were built between 1978 and 1980. Seven units of the total 53 ordered are being configured as battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) for use on non-electrified lines, being designated subclass 777/1.