Extra £246m will keep Clockwork Orange ticking into 22nd century

IT IS one of the world’s oldest subway systems and dubbed the Clockwork Orange on account of the livery of its carriages.

And now the Glasgow Underground is expected to tick over for another 115 years after the Scottish Government announced that it will fund a modernisation programme of about £250 million.

Ministers are ploughing up to £246 million of capital funds into the project to modernise Glasgow’s underground network for the first time since a major overhaul in 1979.

They said the investment will make the underground system, which is now 115 years old, “fit for the 21st century”.

The multi-million-pound revamp is expected to deliver new trains, upgraded signals and better accessibility for passengers. The 15 stations on the route will also be refurbished and a new smartcard ticketing system fitted. There will also be a major public artwork by Alasdair Gray, the celebrated author and artist.

The cash injection forms the bulk of the £287.5m cost of the scheme. Glasgow’s iconic subway, the only one in Scotland, was the third underground railway to exist in the world when it opened in December 1896. It runs on a loop of almost 6.5 miles, which extends both north and south of the River Clyde and links such places as Kelvinbridge, Ibrox and Buchanan Street.

Yesterday, Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national transport agency, said the upgrade would provide a “real economic boon” to the country’s biggest city and help contribute to its regeneration. The subway is owned and operated by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and the funding announcement was made by infrastructure and capital investment secretary Alex Neil.

He said: “The Glasgow subway has been at the very heart of the city for 115 years, but the time has come to make this icon of Scottish transport fit for the 21st century. That’s why I’m delighted to announce the Scottish Government’s substantial financial contribution of up to £246m of capital funding; money essential to ensuring the delivery of the £287.5m modernisation programme and which completes their funding package.

“This money will enable SPT to deliver new bespoke trains, to refurbish stations, to upgrade signals and improve accessibility for passengers. It will deliver the service passengers need to go about their business quickly and effectively and boost Glasgow’s economy.”

The programme was welcomed last night by Professor Iain Docherty, a professor of public policy and government at Glasgow University. He said: “It is good to see that this refit is about using modern technology like driverless trains rather than a simple like for like replacement.”

The announcement, which took place at Hillhead Underground station, was attended by the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is also the MSP for Glasgow Southside. She said: “The Clockwork Orange is a Glasgow institution and this quarter of a billion of support from the Scottish Government will make it fit for the future.