Glasgow Subway could open for longer on weekends under new proposals

Glasgow’s Subway could open for longer on weekends under new proposals, SPT has said.

Plans will be considered for new Subway opening hours to come into effect once modernisation of the system is complete.

It comes after SPT announced on Monday that contactless payments will be accepted on the network, allowing passengers to tap on and tap off.

Now the partnership’s committee will consider opening one hour later on Friday and Saturday nights, extending services until half past midnight.

Glasgow & West

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Customers will be able to tap their card or device on Subway ticket gates and the cheapest fare will be automatically calculated

Also under the plans, services on Sunday would start at 6.30am like the rest of the week. Services currently begin at 10am.

On Sundays, services could also run until 11.30pm, five and a half hours longer than the current 6pm final service.

SPT chair councillor Stephen Dornan said: “We are all aware that there is a real ask from Subway users for extended Subway operating hours especially on a Sunday and it has long been a commitment of SPT to revise the operating hours once Subway modernisation is fully complete.

“However, there are still a number of issues we need to consider including future maintenance requirements of the system and future staffing which we need to consider alongside longer operating hours.”

SPT said it has been in talks with trade union colleagues to consider potentially revised terms and conditions for rostered station staff, and implications for drivers, as well as engineering and maintenance teams.

SPT vice chair Councillor Alan Moir said: “The impact of extended operating hours on daily and essential maintenance as well as engineering activities has been carefully considered as part of the proposal.

“The revised timetable has been developed to ensure that sufficient non-operational windows remain available to undertake planned maintenance, inspections, and engineering works necessary to maintain the safety, reliability, and performance of the Subway system.”

The proposal includes implementing the new schedule on a two-year review basis.

Vice chair councillor David Wilson added: “While we all fully support the move to the new Subway operating hours, we do also have to consider the impact on our staff and the additional costs of running the service for longer during the week.

“As with all new transport operations, time will be required to build patronage so we will be keeping the revised operating hours under review for the first two years.”