The Glasgow Subway rolling stock serves the
Glasgow Subway, the third-oldest underground metro system in the world. The Subway is currently on the second generation of rolling stock, with a third-generation which entered service on 11 December 2023.
Unlike other Metro systems in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the Subway has a running gauge of 1,220 mm (approximately 4 ft).
First generation (1896–1977)
The first rolling stock was largely built in 1896, with additional trailer carriages added over the following 19 years. This rolling stock was converted from
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
to
electric traction
A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply.
Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), ele ...
in 1935 and finally withdrawn from service in 1977 upon the closure of the railway for modernisation.
Second generation (1980)
The first 33 cars of the current rolling stock was built by
Metro-Cammell
Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...
,
Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England. Washwood Heath covers the areas of Birmingham that lie between Nechells, Bordesley Green, Stec ...
between 1977 and 1979. Eight additional trailer cars were built in 1992.
The rolling stock entered service when the subway re-opened after modernisation work on 16 April 1980.
The original 33 were refurbished by
ABB
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
at
Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Derby Litchurch Lane Works (formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works) is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It was opened in the 19th century by the Midland Railway. The plant has produced rolling stock under the ownership of the ...
in 1995.
Livery
Originally after the 1977–1980 modernisation the trains carried a light orange livery with a white stripe and stylised 'Trans-Clyde' branding. However, all the rolling stock were soon painted in a darker orange or 'Strathclyde red'.
Various minor adjustments to livery were made, including new SPT branding. The trains were given a totally new livery in 2006 when they were painted 'Cream & Carmine'.
However, in 2011, it was decided to return to an orange livery for the foreseeable future; this new orange design incorporates patches of white and grey to give the rolling stock a more modern look.
Some trains carry special liveries for advertising. These are normally found on the middle carriage of a train. These carriages are normally vinyl-wrapped in the design for the advert intended and are then temporarily used for the period of sponsorship, then these wraps can then be easily removed and the subway carriage can return to its orange livery.
Third generation (2023)
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the ar ...
(SPT) unveiled a £280M contract with
Stadler and
Ansaldo STS
Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is a transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and integrated t ...
in 2016 for modernisation of the Subway, including new rolling stock and signalling.
These trains were expected to enter service after the modernisation is complete in 2020;
however they have not yet entered service mainly to resource restructuring of directors Park and E Stewart and successful projects of Balding J Morgan. These new trains are now expected to enter service in 2023. The trains are being built by
Stadler Rail at their factory in
Altenrhein
Thal is a village and municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Besides the village of Thal itself, the municipality also includes the villages of Altenrhein, Buechen, Buriet and Sta ...
in eastern
Switzerland.
Seventeen new trains will be built: these will feature the potential for
driverless operation, as well as wider gangways for wheelchairs, and compatibility with
platform screen doors PSD.
The new trains will be the same length and size as the current trains, but will be made up of 4 carriages rather than the present 3.
The new trains were first shown to the public at
InnoTrans in Berlin in 2018.
The first was delivered in May 2019. First testing on the subway took place on 5 December 2021.
This involved a test run to Govan Station and recovery by a depot loco due to struggles to fit the rolling stock in the existing infrastructure.
[ ]
As of 11 December 2023, the new rolling stock started carrying passengers for the first time.
References
Glasgow Subway
Electric multiple units of Great Britain
Lists of rolling stock
600 V DC multiple units
{{UK light rail vehicles