Glasgow Subway to shut for four Sundays over summer for driverless train trials

Glasgow’s Subway is set to shut for four Sundays over the summer as driverless train trials continue.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has asked for permission for closures on July 19, August 16, August 23 and August 30 for final testing of its new signalling and communications system.

Its operations will transfer to a new control room at the end of August, in the next stage of a £288m modernisation programme.

The upgrades – the biggest on the network in almost 50 years – have already seen a fleet of new trains enter the underground.

In 2027, SPT plans to have its vehicles running without drivers or the need for staff onboard. It will be the first system of its kind in the UK.

That will allow for extended operating hours, with the network set to stay open until after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 6.30am to 11.30pm on Sundays.

Ahead of that, protective doors need to be installed at all 15 stations. They have already been put in place at Govan, Partick and Ibrox.

Richard Robinson, director of transport operations, told STV News: “It’s really exciting for us.

“It’s a real achievement and a real mark to all those who’ve been involved that that’s been put in in a Victorian tunnel system that was first operated in 1896.

“We have more trains than we used to have, there will be longer operating hours once we get to that unattended operation – there is a real chance for us to have a great system that’s really fit for what the city region needs and does what the customer needs.”

Once driverless trains are in place, the extended opening hours are to be kept under review for a two-year period.