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Glasgow subway plans to extend weekend opening hours

News imageGetty Images/ZICC One of the new Glasgow subway trains is stationary on a platform. The train is white with orange doors and it is full of people. There is no one on the platform and the train doors are closed. Adverts can be seen behind the train.Getty Images/ZICC
The proposals would see the subway staying open later at the weekend

Opening hours for the Glasgow subway could be extended on weekends next year.

On Friday, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) will vote on keeping the underground running an hour later until 00:30 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The motion would also see the subway open from 06:30 until 23:30 on a Sunday, instead of its current hours from 10:00 to 18:12.

SPT said the change would come in once modernisation of the subway is complete in 2027, which includes driverless trains and platform screen doors.

Councillor Stephen Dornan, SPT chair, 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."

News imageGetty Images The inside of a Glasgow Subway. A man sits on one of the seats which face each other along the long corridor of the vehicle. He looks at his phone and sits next to a sign which says the next stop is Buchanan StreetGetty Images
The Glasgow subway usually shuts early on a Sunday just after 18:00

The change would see the Sunday service begin three-and-a-half hours earlier and end five hours later than the current schedule.

SPT said it had compared its operations with other European subway systems with similar population sizes for the proposal.

The operator said it had also been in talks with trade unions to consider the implications for drivers and maintenance teams, as well as potentially revised terms and conditions for rostered station staff.

SPT said the revised timetable would ensure there was a non-operational period for essential maintenance and engineering.

Councillor David Wilson, SPT vice chair, 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."

SPT recently confirmed that commuters will now be able to use contactless payments when using the subway.

The change means people can tap credit cards, debit cards or mobile wallets on the ticket gates for entry and will be charged depending on the number of journeys they take.