TikTok star Francis Bourgeois pays tribute to 43-year-old Glasgow Subway trains ahead of retirement

A viral TikTok star has paid tribute to the Glasgow Subway as SPT prepare to retire their 43-year-old fleet from rail lines.

Francis Bourgois, who has more than three million followers, gained popularity after sharing his love for trains and videos of himself trainspotting across the world.

The star recently visited Glasgow, exploring its subway lines and showing off the “ergonomic beauty” of its trains.

Bourgois explained how Glasgow’s subway is one of the smallest in the world, in terms of the height of the trains from the platform.

“For someone who’s 6ft 3in like me, you really have to mind your head when getting on board the second-generation stock,” he said.

Francis Bourgois gained popularity after sharing his love for trains and videos of himself trainspotting across the world. TikTok

“The trailer cars carry this wonderful geometric burgundy seat moquette, and rather convenient footstools which are good after a long day.”

The 23-year-old added the power car was “ergonomic beauty is at its finest”.

“Brushed steel handrails, brown leather-topped seats, and a seat moquette pattern that tones perfectly with the laminate flooring – just look at that classic 1980s colour palette,” he noted.

“Jumping off at Kelvinbridge, it’s time to bid farewell to these Metro-Cammell beauties, with the sound of their traction motors whirring and a fantastic electrical discharge to finish off.

“And from Kelvinbridge station it’s time for a walk in the park, where I found a squirrel nibbling on a biscuit.”

The video, which has been viewed more than three million times, comes after Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) announced the legacy fleet of Subway trains are slowly being moved out of service.

The train operators made the announcement in December last year, adding that the older fleet had “performed beyond its expected lifespan”.

“Our old fleet has performed beyond its expected lifespan and it has become more and more challenging to maintain them and find parts for them as the years have gone on,” SPT project director Mark Toner said.

The new trains are slowly being introduced throughout 2024, with passengers getting the chance to try out the first two trains of the fleet in December.

“This new fleet will take time to grow towards its full capability and reliability levels but now that the first two trains have been introduced, passengers will have the opportunity to see them intermittently and experience for themselves as they run alongside our existing fleet over the coming months,” Mr Toner said.