Clyde Corridor Study and the Glasgow Pre Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project

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George Vincent, Senior Project Manager, Land Services, River Clyde and Environment at Glasgow City Council, provided an overview of the Glasgow Corridor Transport Study and the Glasgow Pre Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project.

The Clyde Corridor Transport Study resulted from a bid to the Public Transport Fund in 2002/03 and was awarded around £500, 000. The key objectives of the study were to: develop a sustainable transport plan to link existing activities along the Clyde, serve development aspirations focussed on the Clyde, focus on the River Clyde Corridor from Glasgow city centre westwards and address social inclusion issues.

A steering group consisting of Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT), Scottish Enterprise National and Glasgow, Clydeport, West Dunbartonshire Council and Renfrewshire Council was set up to progress the project. The two phases of the project were a strategy phase, which addressed a large area over a long term and the modelling of various potential routes and a plan development phase which focussed in to a detailed examination and testing of preferred routes.

The criteria used were a system with “tram type” characteristics, an operational speed of 30km per hour, a frequency of 10 services per hour, stops every 500m to 1000m, integrated with existing and planned developments and with a modern “sexy” image. 19 route options were examined, with both short and extended routes on each bank and a combination of both as well as city wide routes. Having looked at various options, the strategy phase concluded that the city wide network was definitely worthy of detailed study, that the combined north and south bank route (city loop) performed well and that extensions offered accessibility benefits, but could affect economic performance. Further consideration of the mode was also required in the plan development stage.

The Plan Development phase of the project looked at the proposal in more detail by examining street by street options, stop locations, service patterns and discussions with developers. The mode of transport decided on was Light Rail Transit (LRT) as this would provide good penetration into city centre, links with transport hubs, proven technology, the desired modern image and be capable of network expansion. The key findings of the Clyde Corridor Study was that a city wide LRT Strategy was required and that the transport needs of the Clyde Corridor would be best met by introducing a tram based system, a core network comprising of a route along the north bank of the River Clyde from the City centre to Glasgow Harbour, a route along the south bank from the City Centre to the Southern General Hospital and a city centre loop. Due to the long lead in time required for the LRT system and the short term demand for a high quality, speedy and reliable public transport system, it was decided that a pre LRT strategy was required.

Glasgow City Council and SPT have agreed to work in partnership to develop a pre LRT strategy and GCC Policy and Resources Committee are providing £2.5 million to develop the project. The system is planned to be open by the end of 2007.

The pre LRT project is to provide a high quality, speedy, reliable public transport system to serve the north bank of the Clyde from Central Station to Glasgow Harbour. The route is to be converted to LRT when this system is ready for implementation.

The project aims to minimise mixing with other road users by running along a dedicated corridor and having priority at junctions. The image and infrastructure should be high quality with state of the art “tram buses”. The service should be at high frequency with the correct fare structure. In order to achieve a dedicated corridor along most of the route, a new bridge over the River Kelvin would be required. The service will stop at key locations and have links with Partick Interchange. There will also be integration with other modes of transport such as pedestrians, water buses and bicycles etc. Access to south bank developments will also be required.

The costs of the project will depend on the vehicle and route specification and the level of service diversions. The studies so far suggest that revenue will cover operating costs, but not all capital costs of the project. Further detailed patronage/demand modelling is however required.

The project will be delivered by a mix of “in house” Glasgow City Council and SPT staff and external consultancy support for demand modelling, environmental assessment, communication and marketing etc.

Before concluding, the question of integration was addressed. The LRT system will incorporate interchanges with Central Station (bus and rail), Partick Interchange Link (rail, bus and underground), pontoons (waterbuses), stops adjacent to cross river bridges, interaction with pedestrians and cyclists and will also have the potential for Park and Ride Sites. The system will also be integrated with existing land uses running through high density north bank developments and providing good access to the south bank via interchange at bridges.

The presentation concluded with some images showing similar light rail transit systems elsewhere in Europe and the UK and images of what such a system could look like here on the Firth of Clyde.

For further information, please contact the Firth of Clyde Forum.