Exclusive:Glasgow Subway’s brand new trains: First ride as they enter service unannounced

Transport Correspondent Alastair Dalton travelled on one of the underground railway’s first new services for 43 years on Monday.
Alastair Dalton
By Alastair Dalton
Published 11th Dec 2023, 16:34 BST
Updated 11th Dec 2023, 17:21 BST
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It’s not a case of mind the gap, but mind your head.

Glasgow Subway’s brand new trains are so bright inside you might think they’re bigger than the old ones, but if you’re tall, you’ll still need to duck to board.

But that’s about the only thing that I found hasn’t changed as I stepped inside. Look down the carriage and you get an immediate sense of extra space from being able to see the full length of the train as there are no doors between the four coaches. Someone has already tweeted that the new lighting is hurting their eyes.

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The first new Glasgow Subway train since 1980 making its passenger debut on Monday. (Photo by Alastair Dalton/The Scotsman)The first new Glasgow Subway train since 1980 making its passenger debut on Monday. (Photo by Alastair Dalton/The Scotsman)
The first new Glasgow Subway train since 1980 making its passenger debut on Monday. (Photo by Alastair Dalton/The Scotsman)

I realised it would be a very different experience from the moment I saw the new train’s dazzling vertical headlights lighting up the tunnel as it approached the station.

There’s now a sound as the doors open and flashing lights as they close, and then unexpectedly rapid acceleration, and with it virtually none of the infamous “Subway shoogle” – sudden jolts and screeching rails that made it almost impossible to converse.