Transport museum’s new home a major hit

Scotland’s new £74 million transport museum attracted more than half a million visitors in its first seven weeks.

About 10,000 people have passed through the Riverside Museum in Glasgow each day since it opened on 21 June. The museum has more than 3,000 exhibits, including cars, trains, bicycles and period streets.

Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the building replaces the former Museum of Transport at Kelvin Hall.

In just over seven weeks, the Riverside Museum has welcomed almost half the number of visitors many top attractions see in a whole year.

Over the course of 2010, Edinburgh Castle attracted more than 1.2 million people while Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow drew in just over one million.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The Riverside Museum has been a huge hit since the day it opened to the public.

“We knew just how much visitors loved the Museum of Transport at Kelvin Hall, but even so, the reaction to the Riverside Museum has been phenomenal.

“The feedback from people has been overwhelmingly positive and we are already seeing visitors returning time and again to enjoy Glasgow’s latest attraction.”