ClydeMetro (part 3)

In this last blog post in the series, I propose expanding Glasgow’s rail network by adding new lines. The opportunities for expansion are numerous, but here I’ll focus on a couple of specific proposals in areas I know well. Other expansion possibilities exist, see for example the fantastic map by Angus Doyle.

My expansion suggestions involve the reinstatement of old track and the use of city roads that are currently dual carriageway, as opportunities to convert to single carriageway for cars plus tram tracks for the metro. You can see my expanded network vision in the following map:

Here are the line expansions (dotted lines on the map) I propose:

• Connecting the Allander Line with a new loop of rail track from High Street round to Glasgow Cross, joining up the two parts of the Allander Line. This area is currently vacant, mostly used as a car park, making it a feasible location for new rail infrastructure:

• Then we want to extend the Allander Line further on in its route: using the (currently unused) branch from Cardonald to Braehead, and then extending on new track to Renfrew (one of the biggest towns with no rail connection), Erskine, and Glasgow Airport, rejoining the existing track at Paisley St James.
• This would make the Allander Line: Light Green: Allander Line - Milngavie to Cardonald (for 2nd time) via Queen St Low Level, Glasgow Cross, Paisley Gilmore St, Glasgow Airport, & Braehead; and vice versa
• Reinstating the Track from Govan to Bellahouston so that the Southside Line links to the Subway Line - again this track bed can be easily seen in current photos and its reinstatement should not be difficult:
  

• This would make the Southside Line into a route from Govan to Uddingston via Mount Florida, Newton, Hamilton Central, and Motherwell.
• Reinstate the Kelvin Line from Lambhill on the Northern Circle Line, through the old Maryhill station, across the Kelvin, and through the Botanic Gardens, connecting with the Subway at Kelvinbridge and continuing through Kelvingrove Park to join the existing track at Exhibition Centre. The line would also extend from Bridgeton to Celtic Park and through Tollcross along tram tacks on the A74, rejoining existing track at Carmyle.
• This would make the Kelvin Line into a route from Lambhill to Whifflet, via Glasgow Central Low Level, and vice versa
• The WestEnd Line would use the reinstated tracks from Lambhill through Maryhill, but then extend westwards, taking the old branch west under Cleveden to the old station near Gartnavel at Great Western Rd (currently the 1051 GWR restaurant) to intersect existing track at Hyndland. The line would then continue to head west (probably need to compulsory purchase and bulldoze the houses in Clarence Gardens - but this is one of the few such land use changes in this proposal) through the (currently infilled) tunnel under Thornwood. The line then turns west along one of the carriageways of the Clydeside Expressway between Thornwood Roundabout, and Scotstoun, turning north along reinstated track (currently Victoria Park's Nature Walk) and joining existing track along the north side of Scotstoun Stadium. It should then leave the existing track at Scotstounhill and provide rail access to the current public transport desert of Knightswood, intersecting existing lines at GWR Retail Park, before continuing westwards to the towns of Hardgate and Duntocher.
• This makes the (Sky Blue on the map) WestEnd Line: Duntocher to Lambhill, via Scotstoun & Hyndland, and vice versa.
• The Clyde Tunnel Line would run from Canniesburn using a carriageway of Switchback Rd (serving the West of Scotland Science Park) before joining existing track at Temple (perhaps using a wee bit of Dawsholm Park to make this link). Then it leaves the existing track again at Jordanhill (perhaps making use of the land currently occupied by the BP garage and the Three Craws pub) running on tram tracks down one carriageway of the approach to the Clyde Tunnel (linking with the WestEnd Line at Whiteinch as it does so). Once south of the river, this line serves the QEUH hospital, links to many lines at Cardonald, links to the Canal Line at Corkerhill, serves the Silverburn shopping centre, before skirting the southern side of Pollok Park as it continues to meet the Argyll Line at Kennishead and the South Lanarkshire Line at Pollokshaws West.
• This makes the (Pinky on the map) Clyde Tunnel Line: Canniesburn to Pollokshaws West, via Whiteinch, QEUH, Cardonald, & Silverburn, and vice versa

While these proposals represent a significant expansion of Glasgow’s rail network, there are other potential projects, not shown on my map, that could be considered, especially to better serve peripheral towns:

• Completing the outer circle line anticlockwise from Greenock Esplanade through Port Glasgow High, Kilmacolm, Bridge of Weir, Kilbarchan, Barrhead, Newton Mearns, Eaglesham, Strathaven, and Lanark; and then rerouting anticlockwise from Coatbridge through Moodiesburn, Kirkintilloch, Milton of Campsie, Lennoxtown, and Strathblane
• Extending the Kelvin Line northwards from Lambhill through Summerston North, Bardowie, Balmore, Torrance, Milton of Campsie, & Kilsyth
• Extending the Canal Line westwards from Paisley Canal to Linwood and Houston.

Possibilities!

The above map can be viewed and edited at https://metromapmaker.com/map/edz5YKo1

ClydeMetro (part 2)

The key to solving Glasgow’s transport inefficiencies lies in restructuring the existing network. Instead of every line converging on Central and Queen Street stations, only a select few should serve these hubs. This would free up capacity at these critical stations, allowing for an increase in service frequency on all lines. With higher frequency services, passengers would be more willing to make connections, knowing that their wait time would be minimal. This shift would not only make transport more relaxing (no worries about missing a train if there's another every 8 minutes, say), but also enable a more diverse range of routes, allowing passengers to traverse the city more efficiently without always having to pass through the city centre.

Interchange Stations: The Missing Links

To achieve this transformation, Glasgow needs more interchange stations. Currently, a glaring example of missed potential is West Street Subway Station. All main railway lines to Paisley pass directly overhead, yet passengers on the Subway must continue to St Enoch’s, exit the system, walk to Central Station, and purchase a separate ticket to travel west on the railway. This is an unnecessary hassle that could be resolved by upgrading West Street into a full interchange station. Other potential interchanges include Bridge Street, a combined Pollokshields interchange (merging Pollokshields East and West), Springburn, Rutherglen, Williamwood, and Shawlands. By creating these interchanges, the network would become far more integrated, allowing for smoother transitions between lines.

New Stations: Filling the Gaps

New stations are also essential, particularly where lines intersect but currently lack a station. Glasgow Cross is a prime candidate, where the underground line running east from Central passes beneath the Bellgrove line that crosses the Clyde to the Gorbals. Similar opportunities exist at Lauriston, where a station could serve the crossing of the lines from Central Station and from Glasgow Cross, and at Eglinton Toll, where the main east-west line from Paisley to Rutherglen crosses southbound lines from Central. Moreover, new stations could address areas more than 800 metres from existing stations or serve high-demand locations like shopping centres or sports stadiums. Proposed sites include Yorkhill, Sighthill, Gorbals, Royston, Temple, Scotstoun Stadium, Great Western Retail Park, Bellahouston, Kinning Park South, Lambhill, Finnieston, Govanhill, and Polmadie.

A New System of Named and Coloured Lines

Adopting a London-style system of named and coloured lines could greatly improve usability and understanding of the network. Here’s a proposal for how Glasgow’s restructured rail network could be organised:

Dark Blue: Inverclyde Line - Gourock or Wemyss Bay to Glasgow Central High Level, and vice versa.

Dark Yellow: Crossrail Line - Ardrossan Harbour to Carstairs via Glasgow Cross & Motherwell, and vice versa.

Light Orange: Ayrshire Coast Line - Ayr to Largs, and vice versa.

Purple: Canal Line - Paisley Canal to Cumbernauld via Rutherglen & Coatbridge Central, and vice versa.

Dark Orange: Subway Line.

Dark Red: Argyll Line - Helensburgh Central to Kilmarnock via Glasgow Central Low Level, Rutherglen, and Pollokshields, and vice versa.

Light Blue: Northern Circle Line.

Light Green: Allander Line - Milngavie to High St via Queen St Low Level, and Glasgow Cross to Paisley St James. [I know this is weird - see next post 😉]

Light Brown: Lomond Line - Balloch to Airdrie via Queen St Low Level, and vice versa.

Light Pink: South Lanarkshire Line - East Kilbride to Lanark, via Rutherglen, Newton, & Motherwell, and vice versa.

Medium Green: Cathcart Circle.

Dark Green: Southern Line - Neilston to Larkhall via Cathcart, Newton, & Hamilton Central, and vice versa.

Dark Pink: Southside Line - Bellahouston to Uddingston via Mount Florida, Newton, Hamilton Central, & Motherwell, and vice versa.

Light Red: Cumbernauld Line - Glasgow Queen St High Level to Cumbernauld.

Light Yellow: Lanarkshire Line - Glasgow Central High Level to Shotts via Rutherglen & Newton, and vice versa.

Dark Brown: Antonine Line - Glasgow Queen St High Level to Croy, and vice versa.

Bright Pink: Kelvin Line - Exhibition Centre - Whifflet, via Glasgow Central Low Level, and vice versa.

Grey: Outer Circle Line - Croy to Lanark via Springburn, Coatbridge Central, & Holytown, and vice versa.

This proposal, by reorganising and enhancing the current network with new interchanges, stations, and a clear system of lines, would allow for greater connectivity, less reliance on the central hubs, and a more efficient use of the existing rail infrastructure in Glasgow. Furthermore it involves no new railway lines being constructed - that is the subject of the next post!

The above map can be viewed and edited at https://metromapmaker.com/map/22C_78S6 

ClydeMetro (part 1)

In the aftermath of the recent UK general election, I saw the following tweet about a new MP demanding a direct rail link from his constituency to London.

The tweet criticised our collective fixation on direct connections to our destinations, which necessitates massive capacity at a few central hubs. This approach, while seemingly convenient, has led to congested hubs, consequently infrequent services, and an overall inefficient system for those not travelling directly to these key points.

What if instead of focusing on direct connections to a few overburdened hubs, we designed a system that offered more frequent services across the network? In such a system, the need for direct connections would diminish because travellers could easily transfer between services without long waits, allowing for more fluid movement across the network. Additionally, journeys that don’t involve these central hubs would become more accessible, enhancing the overall usefulness of the transport system.

Glasgow’s current rail network exemplifies the limitations of our existing approach. Nearly all rail services in the city funnel into either Central Station or Queen Street Station. With few interchange stations—Partick Station being one of the rare examples with its connection to the Subway—cross-city journeys become disproportionately lengthy and inconvenient. Consider the trip from Coatbridge to Bellshill, a mere 14-minute drive south, yet a rail journey of over an hour via Glasgow’s city centre. This structure is evident from the current Scotrail map of rail services in the Greater Glasgow are:

But this double hub with everything via Central or Queen St is not actually a feature of the actual physical rail network around Glasgow - which is a true network, as depicted in the schematic below. This network has significant untapped potential...

Poor public transport, and in particular, poor suburban rail networks, which lead to disconnected populations and low "effective city size" is a leading proposed cause for the poor economic performance of UK cities outwith London, relative to our European comparators. Tom Forth has extensively discussed the importance of transport connectivity in driving economic improvement. As has the Centre for Cities think tank, which found that, in keeping with the potential of Glasgow's rail network, “all large British cities [outwith London], except Glasgow, have worse public transport accessibility than their European peers”.

While Glasgow’s existing network places it in a relatively strong position compared to other UK cities, it still falls short when compared to its European counterparts. By enhancing connectivity across the network—beyond just the central hubs—Glasgow could significantly increase its effective size, leading to greater economic output and an improved quality of life for its residents, as the city’s population can more easily access its amenities and employment opportunities.

Plans are already in motion to improve Glasgow’s rail network, with a proposed "Clyde Metro". According to Glasgow City Council, the Clyde Metro represents “a multi-billion investment over a 30-year period and could better connect more than 1.5 million people to employment, education, and health services in and around Glasgow” . The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has been tasked with leading this initiative, signalling a significant step towards modernising the region’s transit infrastructure.

The following maps (1) from Glasgow City Council, and (2) from Scottish Government and Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects Review, offers a broad outline of what the Clyde Metro might look like:

The details on the above maps remain somewhat vague, and the plan highlights some principle objectives for the Clyde Metro (“high-quality public transport links to key hubs (for example city centre, hospitals, major education facilities, key employment centres, retail hubs, and major leisure/sports facilities) and major transport hubs (for example Glasgow Central and Queen Street railway stations, Glasgow Airport, and suburban interchanges), together with unserved or underserved areas”) without specifying how these objectives will be met.

These objectives are important, as illustrated by the following map I created which shades 800m radius circles around the stations on Glasgow's existing network (showing many areas are quite far away from easily accessing the system) and a map created by Tom Forth showing the areas where it’s currently quicker to reach the city centre by car than by public transport.

While the proposed Clyde Metro does look like a step in the right direction (e.g. links would connect to some of those black regions on Tom Forth's map and so provide extra connectivity from these regions to the city centre), they do not address what I believe is the core issue: the need to de-emphasise the centrality of Glasgow’s main stations, Central and Queen Street, in favour of a more distributed network which can be conveniently traversed from any point A to any other point B, without either of these points being the city centre. The real challenge—and opportunity—lies in reconfiguring the network to allow for massively increased service frequency and facilitating journeys across the city, not just to and from the city centre.

In the next two posts I will show my proposals for this: the next post will show how I'd reconfigure the existing network - involving no new lines; and I'll follow this up by showing an expanded network with some new lines in areas of the city I know best.