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Strathclyde Passenger Transport

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Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating public transport in the Strathclyde area of western Scotland, including operating Glasgow's Subway, the third oldest in the world after the London and Budapest underground railways.

Contents

[edit] History

Previously part of Glasgow Corporation, it expanded to become Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) before becoming SPT in the 1980s. With the abolition of Strathclyde Regional Council it is jointly run by the 12 successor unitary authorities:

SPT will again change in March 2006 when it will be abolished in its current form and be replaced by the West of Scotland Transport Partnership and renamed Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, keeping the SPT.

[edit] Organisation

SPT has the following main responsibilities:

  • Planning of public transport investment
  • Operation of the Glasgow Subway
  • Operation and maintenance of bus stations, bus stops, travel centres and other support infrastructure
  • Provision of some subsidised bus services, where no commercial services exists
  • Provision of dial-a-bus and ring'n'ride services
  • Timetabling and fares setting of rail services in the Strathclyde area
  • Issuing ZoneCard tickets, and dividing the revenue between participating transport providers

[edit] History

SPT was originally known as the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE).

The Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive (GGPTE), The forerunner of SPTE, started operations in 1973, taking over the entire municipal owned and operated bus, and Underground railway,

At the start of the 1980s GGPTE became SPTE.

In 1983 SPTE changed their colours to orange and black, with "Strathclyde Transport" branding. This branding remained on trains until privatisation of rialways in 1993 when it was changed.

In April 2006 under new legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament, Strathclyde Passenger Transport was abolished and a new transport authority, the West of Scotland Transport Partnership, was established along with another six regional transport partnerships covering the rest of Scotland. Covering the same territory as its predecessor organisation, the Partnership successfully negotiated a change to its title from the West of Scotland Transport Partnership to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, in doing so retaining the SPT logo and thereby avoiding the need to change any livery on its property.

Its first Chief Executive, Ron Culley was appointed in March 2006 under Chairman Alistair Watson and a partnership of twenty elected members, whose numbers were swelled by nine additional appointees chosen by the Minister for Transport, comprised its Partnership Board. SPT remains the largest transport authority in the UK outside London. It retains ownership of the Glasgow underground - the third oldest in the world after London and Budapest.

[edit] Glasgow Subway

The Glasgow Subway is the only underground metro system in Scotland. Opened in 1896, it is the third-oldest system of its type in the world, and the only one that has never been expanded from its original route. The circular route serves the city centre, the city's fashionable West End, and parts of the south side. Between the early 1930's and 2003 the system was officialy known as the "Glasgow Underground", but many citizens always continued referring to it as the "Subway". In 2003, the "Subway" title was again used officialy, with station signage and publications changed to reflect this.

[edit] Strathclyde rail services

Glasgow has the largest network of suburban railway lines in the UK, outwith London. These are operated on behalf of SPT by First ScotRail (also part of First Group).

When the GGPTE was formed the trains that ran in the GGPTE area had their colours in the BR blue livery but instead of the familiar BR logo a GG logo was used. Later on the trains were painted in BR Blue-Grey livery, again the GG logo was used with the addition of "Trans-Clyde" branding. The last BR Blue-Grey livery used by SPT the BR logo was now used along with "Strathclyde Transport" branding on the centre of each car. From 1985 as with bus services and the underground, orange and black livery was used with a black BR logo. The current colours on SPT rail network are carmine and cream but there is still one British Rail Class 314 EMU in the old Orange and Black livery.

As of 2005 SPT uses as their sponsored rolling stock:

The table below summarises the various lines and routes:

Glasgow Suburban Railway lines
Line Name Map colour Route
North Clyde Line Dark Blue Helensburgh, Balloch and Milngavie to Springburn, Airdrie and Drumgelloch, via Queen Street Low Level.
Argyle Line Light Green Dalmuir or Milngavie to Motherwell, Lanark, Larkhall and Coatbridge, via Central Low Level.
Maryhill Line Dark Orange Glasgow Queen Street to Anniesland via Maryhill.
Croy Line Pink Glasgow Queen Street to Croy. All trains continue towards Falkirk or Stirling.
Cumbernauld Line Dark Orange Glasgow Queen Street to Cumbernauld. Some trains continue towards Falkirk.
Inverclyde Line Dark Green Glasgow Central to Greenock, Gourock and Weymss Bay, via Paisley Gilmour Street.
Ayrshire Coast Line Purple Glasgow Central to Ayr, Prestwick Airport, Largs and Ardrossan, via Paisley Gilmour Street.
Paisley Canal Line Silver Glasgow Central to Paisley Canal.
South Western Lines Blue Glasgow Central to East Kilbride, Barrhead, Kilmarnock and Girvan. Many trains continue to Carlisle or Stranraer.
Cathcart Circle Lines Red Glasgow Central to Newton, Neilston and the Cathcart Circle.
Shotts Line Yellow Glasgow Central to Shotts. All trains continue towards Edinburgh.
Whifflet Line Yellow Glasgow Central to Whifflet.
Motherwell-Cumbernauld Line Light Blue Motherwell to Cumbernauld via Coatbridge Central.

[edit] Ferry Services

SPT operates the Renfrew-Yoker ferry, and subsidises the Gourock-Kilcreggan-Helensburgh ferry service.


[edit] External link

This article is based on a similar article at Wikipedia and as available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL), as are all other articles at the UK Railways Wiki
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