Glasgow is failing its music fans with shambolic public transport

The Herald Scotland

5 hours ago

There is something magical about the inclusivity of the event and it is quite honestly the most incredible music festival I have ever encountered. And it's accessible. Across Paris and the wider Île-de-France region, a special transport ticket was available for just €4.20 (around £3.50) that gave commuters unlimited access to trains, buses, trams and the Metro. Select Metro and RER (express suburban trains) were open all night to help revellers get between concerts and home safely. Oh, and did I mention every gig is free? The night-long celebration of music put Glasgow to shame.
At least ScotRail decided to put on some extra late-night services to shuttle punters back to Glasgow Central after the gig. This is a nice step up considering the absolute shambles that the national rail operator caused TRNSMT-goers last summer. Tens of thousands of festival attendees were stranded on the last night of the festival (Sunday) at Glasgow Green thanks to ScotRail refusing to extend services beyond 6pm amid a dispute with workers over pay.
Oh, and shocker, the Subway was not operating after 6pm either. The only time Glaswegians get a late Sunday Subway service is during the annual Christmas consumer frenzy. Our transport bosses appear to prioritise shopping over the consumption of music and cultural events.
Music fans and parents of young TRNSMT attendees were rightly furious at either being stranded at the event or missing the big name acts they paid to see just to get home. Around 50,000 people attend each day of TRNSMT, many of whom are teenagers as the festival is open to those aged 16 and over.
Those who had parents or guardians to pick them up were lucky, but many were stuck for a safe way to return home because of the lack of transport. TRNSMT is Scotland's largest music festival and people could not reasonably get home from it last year. Embarassing. (At the time of writing, ScotRail has remained tight-lipped about whether the firm will increase or extend its services for the TRNSMT festival, which takes place from July 11 to 13 this year.)
It sends a message that political elites and transport chiefs do not place value on large scale music events. It seems like any event where people, especially young people, gather to enjoy themselves is something that authorities need to turn a blind eye to rather than accommodate.
In Paris, experiencing the marriage of a comprehensive, integrated public transport system with a public, city-wide music celebration was both inspiring and bittersweet. Public transport and big events are interwoven. Huge numbers of people congregating in the same place need to be able to get to and from their destination safely, effectively, and efficiently. The local authority and the Scottish Government have a duty to people to ensure that this is a reality. The public has a right to have a good time.
La Fête de la Musique, or World Music Day, was founded in 1982 by Jack Lang, then France's Minister for Culture. Inspired by musician Joel Cohen to create a large-scale public music celebration. The idea was 'music everywhere, concerts nowhere' – it is an inherently public event. And even better, it's fun. Even though it was hatched from a government department. The eighties weren't that long ago, and this is proof that politicians do not need to be so dull and serious all the time. With a little bit of creativity and motivation, we can have public events that people of all ages want to get involved in.
With understandably tight local authority budgets, politicians need to be inventive. Imagine if Glasgow City Council could drum up this kind excitement for a grassroots, citywide music festival? After all, this is a big year for the city. But alas. We are stuck with poor public transport to pricey and privatised music festivals. Though I am sure we will see some hot pink Glasgow 850 posters slapped around TRNSMT next month.
As an inherently free event, both to attend and participate in, the government in Paris does not directly bear the cost of La Fête de la Musique. They provide logistical support in terms of subsidized public transport and policing, but the focus is a spirit of collaboration and citizen-centred celebration.
It is about the political will to make something like this happen. To see music bringing people together to let their hair down in civic spaces as a positive thing, rather than something to clutch pearls at. And if its not something the city is willing to provide for Glaswegians, at least make sure they have an affordable, reliable way to get home from the music events that are happening this summer.
Which is the UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow or Paris? If you were to pose this question on a game show – wah-WAH. Paris is incorrect. It's Glasgow. So why are failing our music fans? It is utterly mortifying.
Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1