I was riding in the third oldest subway system in the world last night. This particular subway system was launched almost 128 years ago on Monday, December 14, 1896. Interestingly, this subway system was never expanded since it first opened to the public.
Riding In the Third Oldest Subway System In the World
The subway system is simply known as Glasgow Subway. The only subway systems which are older are the London Underground and the Budapest Metro, on which I reported my experience back on Monday, August 3, 2015.
The smartcard subway ticket is printed on paper and it is “disposable.” Alternatively, an electronic smartcard is available for purchase online free of charge or £3.00 at subway stations. Smartcard ticket prices are discounted slightly from paper ticket prices. Once the fare is purchased, one can stay within the subway system as long as he or she likes to wherever he or she wants to go.
Because I was going on one complete loop around the city, I decided to purchase a single fare for £1.80 at the machine.
Purchasing a ticket is easy. I simply followed the instructions on the screen. Credit cards are accepted as well as other forms of payment.
Once the ticket was purchased, I went to the turnstile…
…I then got my ticket ready…
…and I tapped the ticket against the turnstile, which immediately opened for me whilst two green lights flashed.
The escalators were wild in both directions. They may very well be the fastest escalators which I have ever used, as seen in this video. Interestingly, the escalators contradict the subway and the roads and motorways in Scotland in which passengers must use the ones on the right side instead of on the left side.
Trains on the Inner track operate counter-clockwise around the city; while trains on the Outer track operate clockwise around the city. The entire system is simply a continuous loop around Glasgow and crosses under the River Clyde twice, with no express subway service. Note how the signage in the station matches the direction in which the trains go.
The stations themselves are narrower than the typical width of subway systems in other cities around the world. This subway station is Cowcaddens, which is one of the 15 stations of Glasgow Subway.
I took the first train that came, which was operating on the Inner track. The driverless train — which looks futuristic and loosely resembles a space ship — first came into service in December of 2023; so it was quite new. The cushioned seats were upholstered.
One noticeable aspect of the interiors of the cars is that they are small due to the fact that the unusual narrow gauge of the track is only four feet and tunnel diameter is a nominal eleven feet. Use the people who are seated in the photograph above as a sense of scale…
…as anyone who is a minimum of six feet tall will find standing in a subway car of Glasgow Subway rather uncomfortable…
…so taller people must constantly be careful and “mind their heads” whenever they stand, enter, or exit a subway car.
Final Boarding Call
I thought the ride on Glasgow Subway was clean and somewhat fun. The train shook a lot at times; but the complete trip around the underground loop lasted for approximately 24 minutes. I felt like I was safe throughout the entire experience.
It is not the most convenient subway system, as you cannot get to the central part of the city with it — buses handle that aspect of public transportation in Glasgow — but it is easy to use and can help to reduce the amount of time needed to get to somewhere in Glasgow.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
