Glasgow Metro is another project included in Glasgow City Council's greenprint for investment. It is a new transport provision that will improve connectivity within Glasgow and the wider City Region, driving inward investment, business growth and inclusion.

Glasgow Metro is not so much a project, but a transport concept, which has been considered in some shape or form for a number of years – most recently by the Glasgow Connectivity Commission which published its recommendations in 2019. The prospects of the Glasgow Metro concept being realised were boosted earlier this year when it was identified as a recommended intervention in STPR2. Since that time, Glasgow City Council, supported by Transport Scotland, has been working on a feasibility project to demonstrate the case for a strategic transport system. More on this is expected in Phase 2 of STPR2 expected later this year.

Ultimately, Glasgow Metro may comprise a number of individual but integrated transport interventions aimed at delivering an enhanced and expanded network across the Glasgow conurbation. It may include a mix of technologies such as tram, or light/metro rail - building on existing (and in some cases dormant) infrastructure, while developing new and extended routes to achieve a high capacity rapid transit system. A key intervention being considered as an early phase of any package of measures – not for the first time - is the Glasgow Airport transport link.

STPR2 identified 3 main drivers which would likely influence the development of transport corridors comprising the enhanced network –

  • Unserved and underserved areas with relatively poor connectivity;
  • Improving access to key hubs such as the city centre, hospitals, major education facilities, key employment centres, retail hubs, major leisure/sports facilities; and
  • Integrating with major transport hubs such as Glasgow Central and Queen Street railway stations, Glasgow Airport and suburban interchanges.

The South Clyde Growth Corridor running from the city centre, towards Glasgow Airport and the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in Renfrewshire via Pacific Quay, Govan, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Braehead exemplifies this approach.

The overarching objectives of Glasgow Metro are economic and social – stimulating growth and tackling transport (and other) inequalities - but also environmental, securing its place in the Council's Greenprint for Investment. The opportunities for private sector investment partners are likely to be wide ranging, including not only the primary infrastructure, but also project mitigations (so-called "green" and "blue" infrastructure) and related sustainable development opportunities.

Contributor

Karen Hamilton

Partner