Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a
regional transport partnership for the
Strathclyde
Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...
area of western
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
system in the area, including responsibility for operating the
Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...
, the third oldest in the world.
History
![311092 at Glasgow Central](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/311092_at_Glasgow_Central.jpg)
The principal predecessor to SPT was the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE) set up in 1972 to take over the
Glasgow Corporation
The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Local government
As one of ...
's public transport functions and to co-ordinate public transport in the
Clyde Valley
The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
. In the 1980s it was replaced by the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE), under the overall direction of
Strathclyde Regional Council
Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. ...
. Section 40 of the
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland.
It abolished the two-tie ...
created a new
''statutory corporation'', the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA), which took over "''all of the functions, staff, property, rights, liabilities and obligations of Strathclyde Regional Council as Passenger Transport Authority''" on 1 April 1996. The Executive was reincorporated as a body consisting of councillors drawn from the 12
Council Areas
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...
which succeeded Strathclyde Region:-
*
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
*
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire ( sco, Wast Dunbairtonshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann an Iar, ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter town ...
*
East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...
*
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...
*
South Lanarkshire
gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas
, image_skyline =
, image_flag =
, image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg
, image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg
, blank_emblem_type = Council logo
, image_map ...
*
City of Glasgow
Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...
*
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...
*
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquart ...
*
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and so ...
*
Inverclyde
Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the histo ...
*
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...
*
East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of ...
and nine transport experts appointed by the then Scottish Executive:
On 1 April 2006 - following the passing of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 - Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (and Authority), along with the WESTRANS voluntary regional transport partnership, were replaced by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The new national agency
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisat ...
was created at the same time. At this latest reorganisation SPT gained responsibility for planning for all regional transport (not just public transport) though it lost a number of specific powers relating to rail franchising and concessionary fares. There will be no change in abbreviation (still ''SPT'') or branding or in its major operational functions.
Organisation
![SPT 156 Carmine and Cream](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/SPT_156_Carmine_and_Cream.jpg)
SPT has the following main responsibilities:
* Developing a regional transport strategy for west central Scotland
* Planning of public transport investment
* Operation of the
Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...
* Operation and maintenance of bus stations, bus stops, travel centres and other support infrastructure
* Provision of some
subsidise
A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
d
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
services, where no commercial services exists
* Provision of dial-a-bus and ring'n'ride services
* Issuing
ZoneCard
ZoneCard is a travel card issued by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, formerly Strathclyde Passenger Transport in Scotland.
Usage
The scheme divides the SPT area into 9 regions distinguished by a letter
:D for Dumbarton
:S for Strathk ...
tickets, and dividing the revenue between participating transport providers
Bus services
Until 1986 SPT (and the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive before it) was directly responsible for running the municipal
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
services in Glasgow, and owned both the buses and the necessary supporting infrastructure. The Transport Act 1985
deregulated the bus industry and SPT was subsequently forced to sell off its bus operations. The main bus operator in Glasgow is now
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. The company operates within the area covered by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body responsible for h ...
, although SPT owns the city's
Buchanan Bus Station
Buchanan bus station is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland.
The bus station is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns and cities in Scotland, as well as long-distance services to other parts of the United Kingdom ...
, the largest bus station in Scotland.
The Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE), the forerunner of SPTE, started operations in 1973, taking over the entire municipal owned and operated bus, and
Underground railway
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
, services of
Glasgow Corporation Transport
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population#Localities, most populous City status in the United Kingdom, city in Scotland and the List of cities in the United Kingdom, fourth-most p ...
(GCT), which had been in existence from 1894 to 1973. They used a new
livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
which was a variation of the previous GCT colours of green, yellow and cream. The new livery had Verona green on the lower panels, and yellow between decks, white was used for window surrounds, and the roof. A stylised "GG"
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...
was applied to the forward yellow side panels. At bus stops, pennants had GG branding along with
Scottish Bus Group
The Scottish Bus Group (SBG) was a state-owned group of bus operators covering the whole of mainland Scotland.
The origin of the grouping was the operators owned by and including the Scottish Motor Traction company, which were transferred to ...
branding on bus stops that were also used by the SBG. The orange and black colour scheme used later on in the 1980s to 1990s was originally a special livery for a small fleet of cut down single deck Leyland Atlanteans that operated the
Glasgow Central to
Queen Street rail link service.
![Trans-Clyde Volvo Ailsa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Trans-Clyde_Volvo_Ailsa.jpg)
As GCT had done, the GGPTE continued to buy large numbers of
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asi ...
double-decker buses, they were by far the most numerous type of bus in service, but GGPTE also introduced new bus types such as the
Scania-MCW Metropolitan
The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania. It was built between 1973 and 1978.
It was the second bus model jointly built by these two companies. The first model was the Metro-Scania singl ...
, and the front-engined, Scottish-built,
Volvo Ailsa
The Volvo Ailsa B55 was a front-engined double-decker bus chassis manufactured in Scotland by Ailsa, Volvo's British subsidiary in which it owned 75%, from 1974 until 1985.
Versions
The B55 was designed with a front-mounted engine that sti ...
.
At the start of the 1980s GGPTE was replaced by SPTE who introduced "Fast Fare", an exact fare payment policy which is still being used today by SPTE's successors. Revised liveries were gradually introduced, with the green and yellow replacing most of the white on some buses, and matt black lower deck window surrounds applied to many others, the latter became the livery applied to new buses. Logos also changed, stylised "Trans-Clyde" lettering was displayed below the "GG" logo, which SPTE was also using on rail services and the Underground at the time. Gradually the "GG" logo was discontinued, and "Trans-Clyde" was used alone although a
Volvo Citybus
The Volvo B10M was a mid-engined city bus and coach chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1978 and 2003. It succeeded the B58 and was equipped with the same 9.6-litre horizontally mounted Volvo diesel engine mounted under the floor behind the ...
prototype was branded in the same livery with "Strathclyde" instead. Bus Stop pennants was replaced with "Trans-Clyde" branding. In the "Trans-Clyde" era Coach & Tour stock was painted white with a two tone brown stripe pattern and single deck buses were also painted white with a verona green skirt and yellow painted above the green.
![Strathclyde Leyland Atlantean](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Strathclyde_Leyland_Atlantean.jpg)
In 1983 SPTE changed their colours to orange (known as Strathclyde red) and black, the "Trans-Clyde" name was dropped and replaced with "Strathclyde Transport" branding with the
Strathclyde Regional Council
Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. ...
Scotland map logo, the typeface used on the former "Trans-Clyde" brand name was also used. Bus stop pennants were given "Strathclyde Transport" branding by having a sticker placed on top of the old "Trans-Clyde" name. The name lasted until 1986 due to deregulation of the bus industry, The orange and black colour scheme was kept and "Strathclyde's Buses" branding was used. New bus stop pennants were given with Strathclyde Transport branding but without Scottish Bus Group branding. The Regional Council logo was briefly retained, later on "Strathclyde's Buses" was used alone. In May 1992 a fire at Larkfield depot resulted in a loss of over 50 buses, to make up the number of buses lost in the fire SBL leased several double decks from
Western Scottish
Western Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, in Scotland, was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Western SMT Company Ltd and operated until 1997, when it became Western Buses Ltd. This successor company is no ...
,
Tayside
Tayside ( gd, Taobh Tatha) was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named for the River Tay.
It was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, following recom ...
,
Grampian
Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region to ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
and
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
fleets also several demonstrator single deck buses were leased until a new order of
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
bodied
Leyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1980 and 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production.
Construction
The Olympian had the same chassis and running gear as t ...
s was delivered in August 1993. However some Leyland Atlanteans from the Nottingham & Newcastle fleets were bought to add to the new Olympians. The bus service was still in PTE control until 1993 when
Strathclyde's Buses became
employee
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...
-owned. During that time Strathclyde's Buses formed a low cost subsidiary called GCT - Comlaw No 313 Ltd which marked a return of the Trans Clyde era Verona Green, Black and Yellow as well as taking over
Kelvin Central Buses
Kelvin Central Buses was a bus operator in Scotland. Formed as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group in July 1989 from the merger of Kelvin Scottish and Central Scottish, it was sold in a management buyout and in July 1998 became part of First ...
which led to a cascade of Strathclyde Buses vehicles in KCB colours and KCB was rebranded as "KCB Network". At that time SPTE acquired
Buchanan Bus Station
Buchanan bus station is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland.
The bus station is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns and cities in Scotland, as well as long-distance services to other parts of the United Kingdom ...
from
Scottish Citylink
Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland (where it operates as Irish Citylink) and England (where it operates as Stansted Citylink). The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group i ...
which led to a substantial refurbishment completed in 1995. Both Strathclyde's Buses and GCT colour Schemes lasted until 1996 when
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in Scotland. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. The company operates within the area covered by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body responsible for h ...
took over Strathclyde's Buses. Single deckers at that time was also painted the same livery as their double deck counterpart and the coaches was painted orange on the top panels with deep white centre panels and black lower panels.
A new segregated bus scheme is currently being planned between
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
city centre and
Glasgow Harbour
Glasgow Harbour is an urban regeneration scheme at Partick in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.
Construction
After many years of dereliction caused by the decline of shipbuilding and the migration of Glasgow's docks to the Firth o ...
called
Clyde Fastlink
Clyde FastLink is a proposed high frequency bus rapid transit system in Glasgow, Scotland. It is planned to run between Glasgow city centre and several local and regional destinations, including Glasgow Harbour, the Scottish Exhibition and Confe ...
, but has been beset with problems.
Currently SPT bus stop pennants have SPT branding with the corresponding council area logo next to the SPT logo. Buses on SPT subsidised services have a new SPT livery of orange however the new SPT orange colour is a brighter shade of orange than the previous "Strathclyde Red".
In May 2019, to celebrate 125 years of public transport in the city, First Glasgow painted 3
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a low-floor double-decker bus body that was built by Wrightbus since 2001, based on the single-deck Wright Eclipse design. The second-generation Eclipse Gemini 2 was launched in 2009, followed by the third-generat ...
buses in 1960's
Glasgow Corporation
The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Local government
As one of ...
livery, 1970's GGPTE livery and 1980's Strathclyde Transport livery
Reconstitution
In April 2006 under the
Transport (Scotland) Act 2005
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
, the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive were abolished and a new transport authority, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, was established along with another six regional transport partnerships covering the rest of Scotland.
The Partnership is led by Chair Councillor Dr. Martin Bartos and Chief Executive Valerie Davidson
Glasgow Subway
![GlasgowSubwayCommonwealth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/GlasgowSubwayCommonwealth.jpg)
The
Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the fourth-oldest underground rail transit system in Europe after the London Underground, Liverpool's Mersey Railway and the Budapes ...
is the only underground
metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
system in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Opened in 1896, it is the third-oldest system of its type in the world, and the only one that has never been expanded from its original route. The circular route serves the city centre, the city's fashionable
West End, and parts of the south side. Between the early 1930s and 2003 the system was officially known as the "Glasgow Underground", but many citizens always continued referring to it as the "Subway". In 2003, the "Subway" title was again used officially, with station signage and publications changed to reflect this. The Subway system is unique in terms of its scale and gauge - the Victorians designing an early tunnel through which the rolling stock had to pass which was not subsequently replicated in subsequent, land based systems. This has resulted in an expensive transportation mechanism which has proved stubborn to modernisation.
Recent proposals by the authority include the development of a second loop serving the east of the city and a new line cutting through the existing circle and providing links to low level rail, and a proposed 'Crossrail' project. This new line might have been ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. However it was later decided to revamp the subway over a long term programme which includes a refurbishment of all the stations, new escalators, improved disabled access, new ticketing system and later on driverless signals and trains. The first refurbished station
Hillhead
Hillhead ( sco, Hullheid, gd, Ceann a' Chnuic) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming the w ...
was completed and reopened in September 2012.
Strathclyde rail services
![SPT trains](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/SPT_trains.jpg)
Glasgow has the largest network of
suburban railway
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are cons ...
lines in the UK, other than
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's. Much of the network is
25 kV AC electrified, with the exception of the
Maryhill Line
The Maryhill Line is a suburban railway line linking central Glasgow and Anniesland via Maryhill in Scotland. It is part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network. The line between Glasgow and Maryhill forms a part of the West Highl ...
and
South Western Lines. Glasgow's main
terminal station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...
s are
Glasgow Central and
Glasgow Queen Street
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Queen Street railway station (geograph 6687389).jpg
, caption = Main entrance in 2020
, borough = Glasgow
, country = Scotland
, coordinates =
, grid_name = Grid reference
, grid_positi ...
.
The Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE) was created, in 1972, to oversee all suburban railways in the Glasgow area. When the GGPTE was formed, the trains that ran in the GGPTE area were painted in the
BR Blue
The history of British Rail's corporate liveries is quite complex. Although from the mid-1960s to the 1980s the organisation was associated with "Rail Blue", a number of other schemes were also used, especially when it was split into operating u ...
livery that had been introduced across the BR network in the 1960s. A "GG" logo was applied on one side of the driving cars and the BR double-arrow logo was used on other side of the car, a practice common for all PTE's at the time.
In 1979, to commemorate the reopening of the
Argyle Line
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire. Named for Glasgow's Argyl ...
and completion of the Glasgow Underground refurbishment, a
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
style line diagram map was introduced which also showed ferry interchanges from both the PTE and
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...
. The map was modified over time due to the closure of the Kilmacolm line in 1983 and additions such as the Maryhill line were added. The map was still in use until 2008 when
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisat ...
incorporated the map into a
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
wide map. Some trains from 1975 to 1979 were also being painted in BR's new livery of white, with a blue stripe, with the addition of the GG logo. However, most trains were still being painted BR blue. From 1980 the trains were repainted in
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
Blue/Grey livery; again the GG logo was used with the addition of "Trans-Clyde" branding. Later on, as on the buses, the latter was used alone. Regular BR branding was used at all stations apart from stations on the
North Clyde and
Cathcart Circle lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a mostly suburban railway route linking Glasgow (Central) to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston, on the south bank of the River Clyde. They are part of the Strathclyde Partnershi ...
that still had "Glasgow Electric" signs dating back to 1960. Also the new Argyle line stations had dual Trans Clyde and BR signs. From 1983, due to SPTE's rebranding, the BR logo was now used along with "Strathclyde Transport" branding on the centre of each car, following repaints. In 1985, as with bus services and the Subway, orange and black livery was used, including a black with white bordered BR logo although some
Class 311s still had BR Blue/Grey livery with either
ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...
or "Strathclyde Transport" branding until their withdrawal in 1990. Stations in the SPT area were also given "Strathclyde Transport" signage on the platforms and outside the station, as well as on certain bridges. From 1995 vinyls of the new SPT logo were placed on top of the old "Strathclyde Transport" logo. When BR was privatised, in 1997, new ScotRail signage with SPT branding was applied at the stations. The BR logo was replaced with the ScotRail logo. The orange and black livery was later replaced by carmine (red) and cream, after a blue experimental livery on a
Class 101 "101 692" Then another experimental livery was tried, using carmine and cream on a
Class 156 "156 433 Named The Kilmarnock Edition". The carmine and cream livery had "SPT rail" branding new signage, with "SPT rail", was placed at SPT stations.
SPT is no longer involved in the everyday operation of the rail network. The rolling stock was operated on behalf of SPT by
First ScotRail
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup which operated the ScotRail franchise from October 2004 until March 2015. Prior to October 2004, trains were run by ScotRail (National Express). First ScotRail was s ...
(also part of
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.[ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...]
have operated rail services.
In August 2008 the
Scottish Government's agency
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisat ...
announced that all ScotRail trains (including from the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) would be eventually repainted in a new, blue livery with white
Saltire
A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltator ...
markings on the carriage ends. This will, in due course, lead to the elimination of the distinctive SPT carmine and cream livery from trains. In the Autumn of 2008 some trains, including the Class 156, 314 and 318 have had their "SPT Rail" logos removed. In February 2018 ScotRail announced that over the year the 1979 vintage
Class 314 will be withdrawn from service as the new
Class 385
The British Rail Class 385 ''AT200'' is a type of electric multiple unit built by Hitachi Rail for Abellio ScotRail. A total of 70 units have been built, divided into 46 three-car and 24 four-car sets. Based on the design of the Hitachi A-train, ...
enters service. As of January 2020, no passenger rolling stock carries the SPT carmine and cream livery following withdrawal of the
Class 314s in December 2019 and the last
Class 318, 318 268 being reliveried in 2017.
The rolling stock used and in use in the SPT area is as follows:
Current
The table below summarises the various lines and routes:
On the Argyle and North Clyde lines, each station has an automated announcement system.
Ferry services
SPT operated the
Renfrew Ferry
The Renfrew Ferry is a passenger ferry service linking the north and south banks of the River Clyde in Scotland. The service, operated by Clydelink without subsidy, crosses between Renfrew and Yoker, close to Glasgow City Centre and is the las ...
until March 2010, when Silvers Marine took over the service trading as Clyde Link. SPT also subsidises the
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a r ...
-
Kilcreggan
Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach o ...
ferry service, which in the recent years have been operated by Clyde Marine (-2012, 2018–2020), Silvers Marine (trading as Clyde Link, 2012–2018),and
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...
(2020-).
Day Tripper tickets
Day Tripper is a multi-modal
ticket
Ticket or tickets may refer to:
Slips of paper
* Lottery ticket
* Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start)
* Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...
allowing unlimited travel in the
Strathclyde
Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...
area, by
rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
,
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
,
underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground (S ...
and
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
for 1 adult and up to 2 children or 2 adults and up to 4 children. The ticket is heavily subsidised by the
Passenger Transport Executive
In the United Kingdom, passenger transport executives (PTEs) are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas. They are accountable to combined authorities, which were created between 2011 and 2016 ...
and addresses social needs (e.g., to let low-income families without access to a car to take a trip to the beach).
See also
*
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland ( gd, Còmhdhail Alba) is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.
Organisat ...
*
Passenger Transport Executive
In the United Kingdom, passenger transport executives (PTEs) are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas. They are accountable to combined authorities, which were created between 2011 and 2016 ...
*
ZoneCard
ZoneCard is a travel card issued by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, formerly Strathclyde Passenger Transport in Scotland.
Usage
The scheme divides the SPT area into 9 regions distinguished by a letter
:D for Dumbarton
:S for Strathk ...
*
Commuter rail in the United Kingdom
Urban or suburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travell ...
References
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strathclyde Partnership For Transport
Public bodies of the Scottish Government
Transport in Glasgow
Public transport in Scotland
Public transport executives in the United Kingdom
Companies owned by municipalities of Scotland
Regional Transport Partnerships in Scotland
Transport in Scotland