Glasgow subway gets Botanics-inspired facelift

The planned new entrance to St Enoch station. Picture: SPT

A NEW landmark is to appear in Glasgow city centre as part of the £288 million upgrade of the city’s Subway - a dramatic glass and steel entrance to St Enoch station.

The arched canopy, inspired by the Kibble Palace in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens, is part of a £5.3m overhaul of the station which starts next month and is due to be completed next year.

New lifts will be installed, with shops created on the station’s concourse, which is used by nearly 2 million people a year.

St Enoch, at the junction of Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, is the fifth of the underground railway’s 15 stations to be modernised.

The contract has been won by Graham Construction, which also upgraded Ibrox station, with the canopy design by Aedas Architects.

The overhaul of the 117-year-old Subway, the third oldest in the world after London and Budapest, will also include new trains and signalling by 2020.

Jim Coleman, chair of Subway operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), said: “The modernised St Enoch station will make it a fantastic asset for SPT and we believe it will prove to be a new landmark for Glasgow.

“The Subway tops and tails one of the busiest shopping streets in Scotland. [Buchanan Street station is near the top]

“Our stations don’t just provide an easy and convenient method of travel, they also enhance the wider area for all of those who live, work or visit the city.”