Clyde Metro

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Overview

A council-led Clyde Metro Team is supporting the development of the mass transit scheme following its recent confirmation by the Scottish Government as a key future transport investment priority.

The team was mobilised following a Connectivity Commission recommendation that a metro proposal should be progressed. Glasgow City Region Cabinet paused the City Deal funded Airport Access Project and tasked the team with developing a feasibility study on a wider regional metro opportunity.

The team, which played a key role in Clyde Metro's inclusion in the Scottish Government's Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), has focused on the transit plan's transformative potential, and has now transitioned into the wider project delivery team alongside other organisations, Transport Scotland and SPT.

Clyde Metro represents a multi-billion investment over a 30-year period and could better connect more than 1.5 million people to employment, education, and health services in and around Glasgow. It would tackle social exclusion by improving access to education and employment opportunities, whilst encouraging fewer car journeys, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and freeing up rail capacity for longer-distance journeys.

You can read more about what a Clyde Metro could deliver for Glasgow City Region by reading the STPR2 Final Summary Report. An indicative metro map is also included in the STPR2 Final Technical Report and is shown below:

pdf icon View Map as PDF [338kb]

SPT is currently leading on the Case for Investment (CFI) for Clyde Metro. This key development stage will set out the Strategic Business Case for the mass transit project and the arrangements for its initial delivery phases. The CFI will also take forward work to improve sustainable transport access to Glasgow Airport, and longer-term plans for future phases of Clyde Metro. SPT published a news feature on their website about this development, with full details presented to their Strategy and Programmes Committee on 24 November 2023.

With the scope of the Glasgow Airport Access Project now incorporated within a wider metro opportunity, approved City Deal business case funds will be allocated to accelerate the development of Clyde Metro. This regional funding contribution of £12.155m will be used to support the Case for Investment. You can read more about this in an update report that was presented to our Economy & Transport Committee in March 2024.

Working with Partners

As part of earlier feasibility work, the council's Clyde Metro Team which includes representatives from Glasgow Airport and the NHS, has worked with Invest Glasgow to include within their Greenprint for Investment Prospectus details of how a Metro could attract inward investment and business growth.

The Clyde Metro Team has also collaborated with Glasgow's Green Economy Unit to explore opportunities that could help identify financial structures for large scale mass transit projects.

Work is also ongoing to ensure alignment with SPT's Regional Transport Strategy and the Glasgow Transport Strategy, as well as other key statutory documents and policy work across regional partners to promote the benefits and opportunities Clyde Metro can bring.