Trails of new driverless trains for the Glasgow subway will begin in 2018 before going into service in 2020. The system’s tunnels and signals are also being upgraded in the £288 million overhaul of the subway, the largest upgrade in the last 40 years.

The 17 new trains will be the first in the UK to run routinely with no staff on board. Underground lines in Paris, Barcelona and Copenhagen already operate such unattended trains.

The upgraded subway will enable more trains to run. The current four minute gap between trains will be shortened to three minutes  for regular service and reduced to two minutes between trains at peak demand, when major football matches take place. The subway is also expected to operate later at night and on Sundays, bosting the system’s current 13 million passenger journeys per year even higher.

The trains for the upgrade will be specially constructed in Switzerland, as Glasgow’s subway uses a unique gauge, which is 20cm narrower than the standard. Trains will be open plan between all three carriages and for the first time will feature windows at either end allowing passengers to see ahead and behind. Another first will be the provision of space for wheelchair users in the new fleet of trains, although discussion is ongoing about which stations will have lifts installed, with only the St Enoch and Govan stops currently listed.

To ensure passenger safety screens, similar to those in some London underground stations, will be constructed at the edges of platforms, with doors which open only when a train has stopped alongside.

Virtual Reality

Before the carriages are introduced the public will be able to visualiser a journey on the new underground thanks to the use of Virtual Reality technology, which will allow passengers to experience a journey on the new system. Schoolchildren around Glasgow have already had the chance to try the new subway and the are plans to make the demo publicly available later this year.

Following the system’s introduction in 2020, full automation, with no staff on board, is expected to follow in 2021. However, this issue has caused controversy with the Unite Union.

Union Concerns

Pat McIlvogue from the Union told The Scotsman: “SPT’s future vision involves a Subway system which is ticketless, with no counter staff, no staff on platforms and no staff on trains. If that is to be the case, Unite has to raise the issue of what happens when something goes wrong?

“So there are remaining health and safety issues that are being avoided. For example, does the SPT vision involve staff-less trains when the Subway is packed with fans going to Ibrox for a Rangers game?”

An SPT spokesperson said: “We are currently looking at how we might best utilise front-line staff following the introduction of the new system. Staff understand and accept that there will be changes to current working practices. However, safety and customer service will always remain a priority.”

The subway upgrade has already been commended at the Saltire Civil Engineering Awards for infrastructure innovation.