Dear readers – Glasgow’s subway is one of the very oldest in the world. It’s much loved, but no-one would pretend that our underground system is particularly big or impressive.
But what is impressive is Glasgow’s overground system. It’s a little known fact among Glaswegians, but after London, the city has the best suburban rail network anywhere in the UK.
That system still has plenty of issues, though, from overcrowded lines to overcrowded stations. So today we’ve asked Gareth Dennis – rail engineer and commentator extraordinaire – to weigh in. We asked him, firstly, to give us the good, bad, and ugly of the current system – and then to take a big red pen to the map, and redesign it.
What’s the solution to the huge bottleneck at Glasgow Central? How do we deal with the Clyde cutting right through the city? And is it, at long last, time to extend the subway? With lots of gorgeous maps and some intriguing suggestions, we think you’re going to love it.
Of course, we don’t ask people like Gareth to write for us unpaid – and that’s why we’re asking you to become a Bell member if you want to read the full thing. Expert journalism of this kind will never be free – but will always be worth it.
We also got our shiny new gift memberships just in time for Christmas. Give your loved one long-reads, exclusive analysis and plenty of questionable jokes, three to four times a week. They’ll love you for it — probably.
But before we can get into trains, there’s a mini-briefing to peruse.
Your Bell briefing
🌊 Govan Community Council are formally petitioning Glasgow City Council to rename the newly opened Govan-Partick bridge after “socialist powerhouse,” Mary Barbour, says Danny O’Neil chair of the body. Barbour, a famed Govan-based political activist, was known for her formidable organising skills, including a 1915 rent strike of over 20,000 Glaswegian households that resulted in a rates freeze until the end of World War I. In 1920, she became one of Glasgow’s first women councillors, representing Labour. “I think it’s particularly apt that the bridge connecting Govan and Partick is named after the woman who led one of the largest rent strikes across the two communities and played a central role in the radical history of the Red Clydeside,” said Green councillor for Govan, Dan Hutchison.
🚨 Another building to add to Glasgow’s list of heritage sites: HMP Barlinnie? A new public consultation may be the first step in designating the notorious prison as a Category A listed building (unfortunately, it wasn’t one of the UK’s 10 Category A prisons, scuppering any joke opportunities), reports The Glasgow Times. Interested parties have until 22 January 2025 to provide feedback on the plans to Historic Environment Scotland, with current proposals covering parts of the prison constructed between 1880 and 1908. Will this set Barlinnie on the path of becoming a “tourist attraction like Alcatraz”, as suggested by Labour politician and heritage enthusiast, Paul Sweeney in 2019? And is that something Glasgow even needs? Let us know in the comments.
🍕 A few weeks ago, we promised to update you on the mystery of the Duke Street Frank’s location, which locals spotted being swaddled in Tennent’s branding in mid-November. As we reported at the time (we’ll be honest, it didn’t take an FOI), Tennent's was merely keeping the space warm for the beloved pizzeria, which now has outposts in the west end and the southside. And according to Glasgow Live, the pizza ovens are finally being switched on — today in fact. We’ve even heard it from the horses themselves. “Unless something insane happens, which is absolutely not out of the ordinary for Frank’s, we will be open [on Thursday] from 4.30pm,” whoever runs the Frank’s Instagram account told an inquiring Bell staffer. As a reputable outlet, we can’t just rely on hearsay, so we’ll be sending a gonzo reporter down to fact check, toot suite. And if it happens to be dinner time when they get there? Coincidence.
A blueprint for Glasgow’s rail future
By Gareth Dennis
In rail terms, Glasgow is a giant. Its population of more than 600,000 — and wider city region population of nearly 2 million — are kept moving by the UK's best suburban rail network outside of London. This includes several lines and countless stations, bolstered by the diminutive but noble little Subway that loops around the west of the city centre. The network is almost fully electrified, with electric trains expected to be running to East Kilbride by the end of next year and the Maryhill line to follow (eventually).
But before we start patting ourselves on the back, we need a reality check: Glasgow’s rail network faces serious problems. Before we look at what they are, and how to fix them, let’s first get a grip on how things look today.
Most of the lines emanate from Glasgow Central station and face southwards (lines in blue/purple). A smaller number of lines face northwards out of Glasgow Queen Street station (red/pink). There is, notably, no direct rail connection between Central and Queen Street. The east-west network is formed of the North Clyde (yellow) and Argyll (green) lines, and resembles the kind of system you might find in continental Europe or London — with lines fanning out either side of an underground core through the city centre. Overlaid onto this are regional services in all directions and long-distance services towards England along the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
But constraints are already beginning to bite, forcing people with means to choose to drive – and people without not to travel at all. We’ll start with the biggest: Glasgow Central.
Problem 1: The Central squeeze
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