It takes a thought process and looking at maps and plans to think through what exactly I’d look to do.
That’s my line drawing version of what I think an eventual Clyde Metro should look like in Renfrewshire.
A mainline tram system going from Govan Subway via the QEUH hospital to Braehead, Renfrew Riverside and Renfrew Bridge to Amids and Glasgow Airport.
A connective chord from Glasgow Airport to Shortroods and both Paisley Gilmour Street and Canal Street
A tram based link using land around Paisley Canal station to Kilmacolm via Bridge of Weir, Linwood and Elderslie and a spur from Elderslie to Johnstone West and Kilbarchan.
These are in Green.
I would envisage a limited full system service from Govan to Kilbarchan/Kilmacolm.
My thoughts are that Govan, Braehead, Glasgow Airport, Paisley Gilmour Street/County Square and Paisley Canal Station are the principal starting points for journeys.
There may be Braehead to Paisley Canal services, Paisley Gilmour Street via Glasgow Airport to Govan services and Kilmacolm to Paisley Canal/Gilmour Street to connect with Scotrail services.
The services on the system can build to give half hour or quarter hour or more frequent services with the busiest points being the connection from Paisley to airport and vice versa with extended services to Braehead and Govan.
There are interchanges with Scotrail and the Glasgow Subway from the initial system and brings public transport penetration back to Bridge of Weir, Kilmacolm and Kilbarchan.
Additions and Extensions
In yellow, possible additions and extensions.
An extension to Festival Park/Glasgow Science Museum and Finneston over the Squinty Bridge and into Glasgow.
An extension from Renfrew Bridge to Yoker Railway Station adding connectivity to the North Clyde Line Railway.
A westward extension to Inchinnan, Erskine and perhaps onto Bishopton Railway Station.
A link to the RAH hospital and further south in Paisley and toward Barrhead.
A West Paisley route from Paisley Gilmour Street to St Mirren Park, through Ferguslie Park to the Phoenix commercial area and onto Linwood.
A road based tramway following Glasgow Road Paisley linking Town Centre, Abbey, Whitehaugh, Ralston to Crookston and along Paisley Rd West.
A link from Braehead through Hillington Park, Hillington Industrial Estate and Penilee to Ralston and Paisley Road West.
A route from Paisley Gilmour Street to Renfrew Cross via Renfrew Road and Paisley Road with provisional stops near Gallowhill and Moorpark, Renfrew.
Research
A very basic tracing of a map and outlining existing roads and railways.
Red for roads, blue for Scotrail, green for potential tramway.
My final drawing needed annotated.
For clarity it doesn’t exactly follow Renfrewshire’s geography and a kink/bend needed to make the airport to Paisley section work.
In conclusion.
I don’t suppose to be influencing those at work on Clyde Metro. I’m floating what makes sense to me.
Previously in my blog, I have covered developments on the Glasgow Airport access project and Clyde Metro.
I agree with initial conclusions that a riverside line is needed to the Airport via Govan, QUEH Hospital and Braehead. It also needs to link to both Gilmour Street and Canal Street Railway Stations.
The fastway bus infrastructure in Govan would lend to a tram system and has the link to the subway and Partick for the Scotrail lines there.
Festival Park and the Glasgow Science Centre would be an obvious extension to a tramway as would the fast link infrastructure into Glasgow.
Thought is needed as to length of journey by tram from Glasgow City Centre to Airport.
A solution might be limited stop services between city and airport and perhaps also having bypass track at certain stops to facilitate express as well as all stopping services.
I see a wider question in Clyde Metro scheme as to whether a heavy rail solution to the Airport from the Argyle line and via Exhibition Centre to Glasgow Airport is an answer too.
Although, I see that as a bigger transport intervention and it would need tunnelling under River Clyde and under Govan to facilitate a metro line. Possibly with more tunnels at the Airport to achieve a satisfactory terminal for Metro or heavy rail electrified trains.
For now, I’ve stuck to assumption of a mainly Renfrewshire system with the obvious connection onto the subway at Govan.
It’s lighter solution and hopefully would be less costly.
As intermediate stops, Linthouse west of Govan, Braehead at the Retail Park and Braehead at the Leisure Centre end, along with Renfrew Riverside and the AMIDS development area all make sense.
I think the Renfrew Bridge as a tram stop makes sense as it is walkable to Yoker on the north side of the River Clyde.
I have seen proposals to route trams over the current swing bridge but, it has a variable pattern of closures to allow river traffic and for a permanent link.
The chord from Glasgow Airport to Paisley Gilmour Street is what the city deal should have developed as a first phase to the Clyde Metro programme.
We are now at about 17 years since cancellation of GARL and the wrong turns, lack of Transport Scotland involvement with City deal and other factors have dragged any progress.
Personally I think there are pros and cons to looking at connecting Glasgow Airport as part of a wider scheme and as years go on and there’s more consultant reports and evaluations of what is maybe already known. That’s that Glasgow Airport needs a fixed public transport link. We’ve had heavy rail ruled out and tram trains ruled out, so presumably tram is the answer.
If linking to Gilmour Street Lines then also linking to the Canal Line through Paisley makes sense in offering another connection to Glasgow by train.
Canal Street may offer opportunities under Clyde Metro but I’m aware of the areas built upon near the station and I think that heavy rail to where it currently stops with a use of nearby roads and car parking to facilitate a tram interchange and then to look at using part of the road width of Canal Street for a section of track before rejoining the former railway solum.
From there, Paisley West and then to Elderslie figuring out how to go under or over the railway in the most suitable way. It would make a good interchange point with the Ayrshire lines.
The walking and cycling paths from there lead to Linwood and Johnstone and Kilmacolm.
One is the former Kilmacolm line and I’d suggest that Linwood would be a point to find a station site and then use the old Houston Station site before Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm on the old trackbed.
Another opportunity is the line that used to run Johnstone, Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and Kilbirnie. It might be a stretch to go as rural as from Kilbarchan to Kilbirnie but perhaps opportunity is there in future.
Having a terminus at Kilbarchan or connecting to Milliken Park Railway Station adds connectivity and means that the tramway in place of Canal line extension has two terminal points and can allow at least a half hourly service to both places and makes a through Paisley tram system a possibility with opportunity to run from Braehead or Paisley to either Kilbarchan or Kilmalcolm with connections to the Scotrail services from Glasgow at Canal or Gilmour Street.
And Finally..
Costs and practicality.
After Edinburgh Trams I think a limited scheme from Govan to Glasgow Airport and from Paisley Canal to Kilbarchan/Kilmacolm would work and the additional chord into Paisley links to Scotrail and knits a network that would have purpose and destinations.
Further links with on road tramway inroads where the previous Glasgow Corporation Tramway system ran are maybe possible too, but I’ve drawn possibilities in the yellow parts of the plan that would add destination and purpose to the system.
Inchinnan and Erskine from Renfrew makes sense as a later development. Perhaps even linking Erskine to Bishopton Railway Station too.
I looked at the practicality of diverting the North Clyde lines from Bowling to Erskine and unfortunately I don’t think that’s a practical or good value option.
Erskine by its distance from Renfrew and Paisley is a tough proposition for public transport. The Inverclyde Line doesn’t come close enough, there’s no previous trackbeds in the area either.
Best solution is Inchinnan and onto Erskine but question of journey time and suitability of mode of tram versus bus is another question.
I do have to also refer to Bus as I think many of the lines drawn also reflect services to and from Braehead.
The 77 first service from Braehead to Glasgow AirPort is relatively new but offers so many destination opportunities despite being a long route and a slow way into Glasgow.
McGills Clyde Flyers and Express services go to Braehead, Linwood, Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm.
Abstraction and the forthcoming proposals in 2027 from SPT for bus franchising must be looked at.
If Clyde Metro overlays existing bus routes by train, metro or tram there will be grievances over process and choices made.
However Glasgow has already lost one potential tram system to bus interests in 1994 with Strathclyde Tram and even if Clyde Metro drags on to deal with similar issues, I think it’s worth addressing and that thought is with SPT and those reporting on Clyde Metro.
The opportunity is there and I believe for Renfrewshire that much could be done.
SPT and Clyde Metro show plans of nodes, key points and opportunity in their documents but I do think a system through Paisley and Airport to Braehead and Govan would work and make sense.
I’ll see in time if SPT and City Deal Group plans for Clyde Metro match mine about Renfrewshire, but there’s at least 2 years to go and a load of reports to come
Early to mid 2027 according to them and after that political decisions on spending and scope.
Fin/.
Chic Gibson - A blog of sorts 