£4MearmarkedforSubway
TRANSPORT bosses will today be asked to approve contracts worth more than £4million for the upgrade of two Subway stations.
SPT bosses have recommended Graham Construction be awarded the contracts for work at Shields Road and Bridge Street stations.
Work is programmed to start when the refurbishment of Kelvingrove station is finished this summer.
It is expected the upgrade of Shields Road and Bridge Street will continue into the middle of next year but both will remain open to passengers at all time.
Work will follow the approach used in other stations to provide clean, efficient and modern passenger friendly environments.
A report to SPT says the £288m modernisation programme is the most significant investment and improvement programme in the subway in the last 40 years.
It involves replacing materials on the floors, walls and ceilings throughout the stations, improving passenger information and signage and introducing more efficient LED lighting.
Work at Hillhead, Partick, Ibrox, Kelvinhall, St Enoch, Buchanan Street, Govan and Cessnock is now complete.
The design contract for the final four stations – St Georges Cross, Cowcaddens, Kinning Park and West Street – is currently out to tender.
The upgrade of the Subway resulted in the introduction of smartcards and a report to SPT members says there are now more than 150,000 Subway smartcard holders.
In March last year, the contract was awarded for 17 new trains along with a new control centre and platform screen doors.
The aim of the massive improvement programme is to increase passenger numbers and reduce the cost of operating the 121-year-old system.
It opened in December 1896 and is the third oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro.