4 days ago
Clyde Metro possible routes and cost known by 2027
Consultants are currently developing a case for investment which is seen as an 'essential' step towards providing a 'mass transit' system.
Glasgow Labour has claimed the Metro scheme is a 'stalled plan dressed up as progress' — with no start date and no funding committed.
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Transport spokesman Cllr Saqib Ahmed said: 'Clyde Metro should be Glasgow's next great infrastructure revolution — but right now, it's just another SNP soundbite.'
A spokesman for the city's SNP group said the cross-party Glasgow City Region cabinet has allocated £12m to advance the business case, which Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is progressing.
'That's a considerable amount of spend and effort for a soundbite,' he added.
The funding, which will support the development of the case for investment (CFI), is from the City Deal, a more than £1bn infrastructure programme funded by both the UK and Scottish governments.
Council officials have said the CFI will identify the funding strategy for 'subsequent stages of the Clyde Metro programme'.
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They also said 'one of the key objectives is to improve the sustainable transport access to Glasgow Airport' and this will 'continue to feature as a key priority in all the options we are exploring.'
At a council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Kieran Turner, Labour, asked whether there would be potential routes and costs at the end of the CFI process.
An official said: 'Yes, absolutely. At the moment, as part of the initial engagement, we have four network options which were presented.
'Those network options will then get synthesised into a preferred network.'
The process will involve deciding on which modes of transport will be included, such as heavy rail or tram, as well as a recommendation on 'what the first move needs to be'.
Cllr Turner added: 'Until people start to see something that is a little more concrete, even in terms of option selection, there are still going to be questions in our constituents' minds around if any of this is ever going to happen.
'Is lots of money just getting spent on consultants? And will anything come of this?'
The official said there will be answers at the end of the case for investment, including potential timelines. It will be 'absolutely critical' for securing 'a commitment from government to give funding', he said.
Public consultation on the project could be held in spring or summer next year.
After the meeting, Cllr Ahmed said: 'Communities have waited too long for transformation. Instead, they've been left behind by a government more focused on branding than building.
'Glasgow Labour will keep fighting for real investment in our transport network.'
Labour want a commitment from the Scottish Government to fund phase one of the Metro project and a 'clear, costed and deliverable' construction timeline.
The SNP spokesman said Clyde Metro is 'an agreed national transport priority'. 'Labour's failure to deliver the type of modern transport system developed by our peers during their time in power in Glasgow is why we have decades of missed opportunities to catch up on.
'If Labour councillors want to start being constructive perhaps they can insist from their party colleagues that we received a share of the £15bn the Chancellor is allocating to English cities for major transport projects.'
