Tuesday March 17th 2026
Glasgow Subway (photo by Winston Tjia)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
The operating hours of Glasgow’s Subway are set to be extended, with later services on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), which runs the Subway, is proposing to make the changes once driverless trains are running.
It would make a major difference to opening hours on Sundays, with trains set to be available from 6.30am to 11.30pm. Currently, the service only runs from 10am to 6.12pm on a Sunday.
Trains would also run for an extra hour on Friday, with the Subway then closing at 12.30am. From Monday to Thursday, it would continue to run from 6.30am to 11.30pm.
SPT members will consider the plan at a meeting on Friday. The proposal has been welcomed by the city’s SNP administration.
It is expected the new operating hours would be in place from 2027.
Cllr Angus Millar, SNP, the council’s convener for transport and city centre recovery, said, if approved, the plan would be a major boost to the city’s evening economy.
He added: “Getting people into town — and getting them home afterwards — is critical to Glasgow’s vitality and vibrancy, and extending the Subway hours is exactly the type of measure that the evening economy and the city centre more generally will benefit significantly from.”
Extending the operating hours is expected to cost £900,000 annually, according to an SPT report. It is anticipated that increased demand will allow the “extended services to operate on a broadly cost-neutral basis in the medium to long-term”.
It is hoped the changes will benefit early-morning commuters on Sundays, shift workers and people on nights out.
Cllr Malcolm Mitchell, SNP, who is a member of SPT’s board, said: “A seven-day, round-the-clock city like ours needs a service that reflects the needs and demands of modern Glasgow.
“That’s something the travelling public has long been calling for, and that both as a city councillor and a member of the SPT board I’ve been adding my voice to.
“This can be a watershed moment for late night transport in and around the city and one which I hope other service providers look to and learn from.”
The report to SPT members states the proposal is “only possible once the complex installation and testing of the signalling systems, platform screen doors and other ancillary works are fully aligned”, but financial and workforce planning needs to start “well in advance”.
It adds “modernisation” of the Subway network is ongoing, which includes a communications-based train control system, which “lays the foundation for safer, more reliable, and automated train operations”.
This will allow “unattended train operations” which gives the opportunity for “increased train frequency, operational flexibility and improved system performance”, according to the report.
The introduction of driverless trains involves “significant, ongoing discussions with the respective trade union”. There would be a two-year review period to ensure the extended hours are “effective and financially sustainable”.
The report adds, based on an average revenue of £1.80 per journey, around 500,000 extra passenger journeys per year would be needed to cover the anticipated operating costs.
It reveals 36% of complaints currently received about the Subway relate to limited service hours.
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