Timely revamp begins on 'Clockwork Orange'

WORK to overhaul Glasgow's 115-year-old subway system began in earnest yesterday on one of the busiest stations on the underground network.

Hillhead, in the west end of the city, was the first to see work as part of the multi- million-pound overhaul. Glasgow is one of three cities in the UK to have a subway system - and it is the third oldest in the world. Built in 1896, the subway, nicknamed the Clockwork Orange because of the vivid orange colour of the trains, has only been modernised twice in its lifetime.

In 1935, it was converted from cable-hauled to electric traction, and it closed for work between 1977 and 1980.

A spokesman for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), which runs the subway, said maintenance and operating costs were "spiralling" and a full-scale upgrade above and below ground was the only option to secure the subway for future generations.

The interior of Hillhead station will be overhauled and become the flagship for upgrades of other stations.

The first task will be the removal of the ceiling at platform level section by section.

Work will be complete by summer 2012 and upgrades at two more key stations are planned before Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Also planned are new escalators at every station and a smartcard ticketing system.

Work will be done overnight and at weekends. SPT chairman Jonathan Findlay said: " We have the chance to deliver a subway that will last for generations to come, one that will grow with Glasgow, attract new residents and visitors alike and help our streets from becoming more congested."