New trains for the “Clockwork Orange” sub-surface rail network | Rail.co.uk New trains for the “Clockwork Orange” sub-surface rail network Published: 5th March 2016 Glasgow Subway deal for Swiss and Italians Glasgow Subway is to get new trains in a £200 million deal with a consortium of Swiss and Italian companies. Known to generations of Glaswegians by the unofficial title of “Clockwork Orange” because of its colour scheme and frequency of service, the underground railway has long been noted as a bastion of British engineering. Its nickname tends to be frowned upon officially, with the designation “Glasgow Subway” being preferred. The biggest of Scotland’s seven regional transport partnerships, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), operates the Glasgow Subway, a circle line of twin tracks on a gauge of four-feet. Opened in 1896 it originally used cable haulage until modernisation and electrification in the 1930s. There have been other modernisation schemes since, including recent refurbishment and reconstruction of several stations. Existing trains were refurbished in Scotland but will soon be due for complete replacement.

The new trains are expected to be in traffic by the year 2020. The trains will be in four-car sets compared to today’s trains which are made up of three-car units. SPT has announced that the contract for new trains and associated signalling has gone to the Stadler Bussnang AG / Ansaldo STS Consortium. Stadler are Swiss train-builders while the Italian firm Ansaldo made its name for signalling. Jonathan Findlay, who chairs SPT, said: "The new rolling stock will provide the travelling public with a much improved journey experience and the system will be more flexible in terms of frequency and availability." Trains will be capable of operation without drivers. There will be dedicated spaces on the trains for wheelchair-users for the first time. A new transport interchange is under construction at Govan. There are convenient connections with buses at several stations, and interchanges with ScotRail at Partick and Glasgow Queen Street (where the adjacent Subway station is named “Buchanan Street”). St Enoch is the nearest Subway station to Glasgow Central.

External Links WATCH A CLOCKWORK ORANGE FREE ONLINE WATCH A CLOCKWORK ORANGE FREE ONLINE Watch A Clockwork Orange Free Online clockwork orange 'Clockwork Orange' is the name of the secret British security services project which was alleged to have involved a right-wing smear campaign against British politicians in the 1970s. Lords of Acid is a Belgian acid house/techno/Industrial band that started as a spinoff of Praga Khan with the controversial New Beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988. A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess. Burgess gave three explanations for the origins of the title.

In a prefatory note to A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music, Burgess wrote that the title was a metaphor for " online Controlled by or connected to another computer or to a network on-line: on a regular route of a railroad or bus or airline system; "on-line industries" on-line: connected to a computer network or accessible by computer; "an on-line database" Connected to the Internet or World Wide Web on-line(a): being in progress now; "on-line editorial projects" watch a small portable timepiece a period of time (4 or 2 hours) during which some of a ship's crew are on duty Keep under careful or protective observation look attentively; "watch a basketball game" Look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time Secretly follow or spy on free grant freedom to; free from confinement able to act at will; not hampered; not under compulsion or restraint; "free enterprise"; "a free port"; "a free country"; "I have an hour free"; "free will"; "free of racism"; "feel free to stay as long as you wish"; "a free choice" Not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes (

of a state or its citizens or institutions) Subject neither to foreign domination nor to despotic government Not or no longer confined or imprisoned loose: without restraint; "cows in India are running loose" Clockwork Orange Glasgow's underground railway has always been called the Subway by Weegies, not the Metro or Underground, despite efforts at rebranding.

It's the third oldest in the world, opening in 1896 after London's and Budapest's versions. Between 1977 and 1980 it was refurbished and new, orange trains introduced. Locals immediately christened it the Clockwork Orange, referring to the colour, Stanley Kubrick's film which had opened in 1971, the diminutive nature of the trains (which run on a 4ft guage) and the fact that there is only one, circular route, like a child's clockwork train set. Fetish Fest - Clockwork Orange (preview) fetish fest - clockwork orange! promotional poster - preliminary version. They said the London Underground would never work - Telegraph They said the London Underground would never work After 150 years, the Victorian underground railway is going strong Going underground: a steam engine glides into modern Baker Street Photo: Getty Images By Sinclair McKay Comments Tales from the Underground tend towards the darker side.

In 1861, two years before the very first subterranean railway system in the world opened, the Times commented that it was insane to imagine that horse-drawn omnibus passengers would instead choose “to be driven amid palpable darkness through the foul subsoil of London”, and the very notion of this railway would in the future be associated with other absurdities such as plans for “tunnels under the Channel”. To this day, there are millions of aggrieved commuters – not just in London but packed in carriages, with their faces squashed against the doors, from Tokyo to Moscow – who still feel that travelling underground is a daily form of madness. In 1863, there were a few apprehensive Victorians who imagined that those initial tunnels from Praed Street in west London to Farringdon in the City, filled with smoke and the shrieks of steam engines, were uncomfortably close to the infernal visions of Dante. But just the other week, along those very same tunnels, a vintage steam locomotive drew through Baker Street station as a prelude to a year of celebrations, clouds billowing down the platform.

In the coming year, we should be treated to many sights such as this, together with the sharp pang of nostalgic yearning that antique trains always evoke. This year marks the 150th anniversary of that pioneering underground railway system, and it is an opportunity to reflect not merely on the ingenuity but also on the unexpected splendours of underground life. For all the complaints about claustrophobia and sub-surface overcrowding, from Liverpool to Glasgow, Prague to New York, these railways through the Stygian gloom also bid us – if we keep our eyes open – to briefly enter an altogether different world. And unlike other modes of travel, from the jet to the hybrid car, this is one that Victorians would still instantly recognise today. We take it so much for granted that we forget just what an extraordinary feat these old Underground tunnels represent. Throughout the mid-19th century, as London suddenly pulsated outwards and its squalid streets and courts and alleys seethed with an unprecedented population explosion, and coaches and carriages on the muddy roads moved slower than pedestrians, the question of how to move everyone around became more urgent. The dawn of the railway age combined with the relentless Victorian appetite for innovation.

The answer lay below. Related Articles Councils rake in record profits from parking 09 Jan 2013 Roads were sliced open; tenements were flattened; the River Fleet was held in check. One commentator noted that it was like operating on a human body, for below London lay “the veins and arteries” of pipes. The driving visionary was Charles Pearson, solicitor to the City of London and sometime radical MP for Lambeth. In the 1850s, seeing how London’s streets were also being jammed with railway passengers arriving from all over the country, he campaigned for a line between Paddington and the City. In 1854, the idea finally got parliamentary assent. Pearson died in 1862, one year before his dream was realised on January 9 1863, then thrown open to the pubilc the next day. By the end of the first year of operation, there were nine million passengers. It took a while, but other British cities followed. Liverpool got a series of underground stations linked to the surface lines, with a tunnel beneath the Mersey, in 1886; those tunnels are now part of the modern Merseyrail system.

In Hungary in 1896, Budapest opened its own underground network. In the same year, Glasgow swiftly followed with a circular tunnel system that swooped under the Clyde twice. As a child in the Seventies visiting Scottish relatives, I recall the unmodernised, ancient-seeming island platforms, and the little trains painted bright red. The later, more modern trains were tangerine, and the Glasgow loop system became known as the “Clockwork Orange”. The Paris Métro started taking passengers in 1901 and swiftly expanded, its map swirling madly in all directions, the history and soul of the nation marked down in those romantic station names, from Austerlitz (named after the battle) to Alexandre Dumas (one of several authors thus commemorated). In Russia, the grandiose proportions and over-decorated chintzy chandeliers of the Moscow metro were first built in the Thirties, at the height of Stalin’s genocidal rule. These glitzy stations were said to be intended as “palaces for the people”.

Back in London, and after the pioneering sub-surface lines built beneath the roads, there came the Tubes – the first deep line was the City and South London (now the Northern Line), opened in 1890, with electric locomotives. These tunnels, sometimes hundreds of feet beneath the surface, remain unique. As a Victorian commentator cheerfully noted, it was now possible for people to travel “below the level of graveyards”. Tube publicity always sought to veer away from such morbid notions: one Twenties poster carried a beautiful painting of a glowing Tube station entrance on a dark wet night. The tagline was: “Where it is warm and bright.” To this day, an underground railway is a city’s badge of status, and every system has its own distinct atmosphere. Washington DC, for instance, has a sober, cool, refined network with wide, airy passages and well-lit platforms. Toronto is similarly calm and reserved – even, dare it be said, a trifle flavourless. But some undergrounds will always inspire anxiety. New York’s aggressively utilitarian subway – no fancy station names, and dim stations barely decorated in any way – has spawned urban legends of homeless people forming communities in disused tunnels.

These tales can also be found in Paris and London; there are even stories of children born underground, growing up albino and speaking in guttural tongues. Not that long ago, the Paris Métro was held up as an example of elegance and sophisticated efficiency. Now it is grubby and dangerous and can feel sinister. In his highbrow thriller Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco speculated that the Métro was built according to a Knights Templar design, the weaving tunnels actually forming a map to a deeper, darker secret to do with untapped mystical forces. On the other hand, London’s Tube – formerly decaying, peeling, raucous and filthy – seems to have found new, more beautiful, sometimes exquisite life in recent years. There is the restored Victorian splendour of the Circle Line – fantasias of pale yellow brickwork and green-painted wrought iron. There is the dripping gothic thrill of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s twin tunnels under the river at Wapping. Gants Hill, in the east, is a sly Forties austerity satire on Moscow’s absurd grandeur.

Uxbridge is a fascinating Thirties experiment in brutalist concrete – as well as being immortalised in Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’s Uxbridge English Dictionary. Clue fans might also want to visit the show’s ultimate shrine: Mornington Crescent, south of Camden Town, once the hangout of scary drunks and addicts, but now a charmingly restored example of the finest Edwardiana. Meanwhile, modern Canary Wharf has the breathtaking operatic scale of a Bond villain’s lair. Perhaps thus inspired, the most recent 007 adventure Skyfall featured the villain using the Tube system as a means to try to kill Bond. It could have been worse. In the 1967 Hammer film Quatermass and the Pit, a new Tube extension to “Hobb’s Lane” uncovers a long-buried spaceship and ancient visions of the Devil himself. And naturally there are plenty of ghost stories even today: the baleful presence felt by drivers in the darkness on the Kennington loop; the spectre on the stairs at Russell Square.

There is even said to be a glowing-eyed vampire lurking in a disused tunnel near Whitechapel – this notion thanks to the poet/novelist Iain Sinclair. In real life, that faintly pleasurable unease will never quite go away. When you stand at the end of the platform and stare into the fathomless darkness of the Tube tunnel, waiting to feel the stale air of an oncoming train, there is always a slight sense of the macabre. Of all the ways to travel, there is something counter-intuitive about plunging into the depths. But the fascination and the allure is enduring, too. Why else should crowds of children spend hours in the London Transport Museum, poring over those first ever Harry Beck-designed Tube maps from the Thirties, or gawping at the original Victorian windowless Tube carriages, dubbed “padded cells”? And what visitor to the capital has not laughingly intoned, in fruity received pronunciation, the instruction: “Mind the Gap”? The underground has a way of getting under everyone’s skin.

For details of the London Underground’s 150th anniversary celebrations, visit Glasgow: Facts and Information | Primary Facts Glasgow: Facts and Information by James • 15 Comments Here are some facts about Glasgow. Glasgow is Scotland ‘s largest city with a population of approximately 600,000. The city is located on the banks of the River Clyde , about 80 km from Edinburgh . It was founded in the 6th century and grew in importance as a trading port. In the 12th century, the city was granted permission to hold a fair, which still takes place every year. Glasgow’s underground railway system is the only one in Scotland, and the 3rd oldest in the world. It is sometimes nicknamed the Clockwork Orange, because of the colour of the trains. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Glasgow became one of the world’s largest and busiest ports. By the late 18th century, over half of the tobacco trade in Britain was centred on the city. One of the city’s most famous residents was the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh . He designed many buildings in the city, including the Glasgow School of Art.

Glasgow was designated European City of Culture in 1990 and is home to over 100 cultural and artistic organizations. The Scottish Ballet, Opera and Symphony Orchestra are all based here. Glasgow had its own police force in 1789, 40 years before London’s force was established. The Boys’ Brigade movement was also started in the city in 1883 by William Smith. Some notable streets and landmarks include George Square, Sauciehall Street and Argyle Street. Neighbourhoods include the West End with its shops, restaurants and hotels, and the Merchant Quarter. The first international football match between Scotland and England was played in Glasgow in 1872. Glasgow Celtic football club was formed in 1888 and so named because of the many Irish residents. There are over 20 towns named Glasgow in the US, as well as several in Canada, including New Glasgow. Glasgow is twinned with several cities, including Jerusalem, Marseilles and Havana.

Practical info Glasgow, United Kingdom - KLM.com Practical info Glasgow, United Kingdom Getting around the city Glasgow's city centre is compact and easily explored on foot, but public transport will be needed to reach some of the major attractions, which are farther out. The integrated transport network includes a reliable but confusing bus system with connections to the underground and train network. Some routes operate limited services throughout the night. The simple underground system, also known as the Clockwork Orange, has two circular routes that are easy to understand; this is the best way to get between the city centre and the West End. The suburban train network is fast and efficient. Taxis are readily available and provide excellent, if fairly expensive, service. A car is not necessary in the centre, and it is often easier to get around using public transport. Car users can make use of the park-and-ride system at underground stations outside the city centre. Time GMT (GMT +1 from last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October). Electricity The electrical current in the UK is 230 volts, 50Hz. Flat three-pin plugs are standard. Currency The currency is the British Pound (GBP), which is divided into 100 pence.

ATMs are available in almost all towns and Visa, MasterCard and American Express are widely accepted; visitors with other cards should check with their credit card companies in advance. Foreign currency can be exchanged at bureaux de change and large hotels, however better exchange rates are likely to be found at banks. Communication The international country dialling code for the UK is +44. Mobile phone coverage is extensive, using GSM 1800 networks which may not be compatible with some dual-band US cell phones. Internet cafes are available in all major towns and cities, train stations and airports and wifi is widely available. Emergency number 26 Dec Climate Like the rest of Scotland, the weather in Glasgow is unpredictable and several degrees colder than England in the south of the British Isles. Winters (December to February) are long and wet, with very cold winds and some snow, and average temperatures ranging from 35°F (1°C) to 45°F (7°C) with seldom a sign of the sun. However, when spring arrives (between March and May) the mild temperatures and colourful flowers in parks and gardens make the city a cheerful place to be.

In summer (June to August) most days start off misty but warm up to sunny, mild afternoons, with an average high of 67°F (19°C) in the height of summer. Glasgow Airport Getting to the city Buses leave regularly for Glasgow, stopping off at the main railway and bus stations. The journey to the city centre takes 15 to 20 minutes. There are also eight trains per hour from Paisley Gilmour Street Station to Glasgow Central Station, which is one mile from the airport and can be reached by taxi or by regular bus services. Car rental Car hire options at the airport include Avis, Europcar, National, Alamo, Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, and Dollar/Thrifty. Airport taxi's Taxis are available 24 hours a day at the taxi rank opposite the main terminal. They are obligated to meter the journey. Transfer between terminals A covered walkway connects the terminals. Facilities Facilities at Glasgow Airport include ATMs, a bureau de change, a post office, and many shops, bars and restaurants. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs are advised to inform their airline or travel agent in advance.

There is also a multi-faith prayer room. Parking Short-term parking is located near the terminal, charging roughly £6 for the first hour, £10 for up to three hours and £16 for up to six hours. Long-term parking is £20 for the first day and £8-£12 per day thereafter. Premium business parking is also available. The airport offers Fast Track Parking for speedy access to the terminal, located on level 2 of Car park 2. Parking can be booked in advance via the airport website. Internet A Transport of Delight: Glasgow's 'Clockwork Orange' 26 October 2009 Glasgow's 'Clockwork Orange' During my recent trip to Glasgow , I spent my short time there fulfilling one of the last-remaining trips using a transport system I've hitherto sampled: the Glasgow Subway, aka The Clockwork Orange. This is the modern-day signage that is SPT's equivalent to London Underground's roundel The Subway is one of the smallest self-contained rail systems in the UK, coming in at 10.4km (6.5mi) in length, with 15 stations along its circular route.

Using twin tunnels, trains operate clockwise on the outer section and anti-clockwise on the inner section. Trains are thus marketed as 'outer' and 'inner' thus enabling passengers to catch the right train for their journey. Situated in the centre-west of the city, the entire network operates wholly underground. Ironically, the maintenance facility at Broomloan Road is at ground level. The whole system struck me as a mini Tube network, with tunnels measuring only 3.4 meters wide, accommodating the unique track gauge of 1219mm (or 4 feet) between rails. There are some pretty steep gradients along the route, too, with inclines of 6% seen in places (generally as the line climbs after having descended the River Clyde) and the most quirky aspect I spotted was the hump effect each station has: the line rises at one end of each station, to a crescendo in the middle, before falling away as the other end of the station/start of the approaching tunnel portal. My claim to fame is that I've travelled along the metals of all light-rail systems in the UK, operating normal passenger services, though have never got near the Glasgow Subway until today.

It took me 20 minutes to make a round trip on the 'inner' route (anti-clockwise), though time constraints meant I was unable to undertake an 'outer' circumnavigation. The cost of a one-journey ride is a flat rate of £1.20 (60p child). Scottish National Concessions travel at a flat fare of 40p and a day ticket is available priced at £3.50. I therefore paid only £1.20 to do a complete circuit and identified it being possible to undertake a circuit in the opposite direction without having to purchase another ticket. Only the insane and editors of one of the UK's longest-running transport publications would want to do this though, so I can't see Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT - who both own and operate the system) losing much money here! Similar to the French Metro, a ticket is needed to gain access to the network, though thereafter the user doesn't have to worry too much about where they place it for safe keeping since on exiting stations, the turnstiles are free-turning. SPT advise passengers, however, to retain tickets for inspection.

The most impressive aspect of the system though, for me, was its cleanliness. The Glasgow Subway is absolutely spotless. Not one spec of litter or graffiti did I spot in the time I was down there. Also pleasing to see was that loadings weren't on a par with say the Piccadilly Line at rush hour, yet the Glasgow Subway carries in excess of 14 million people every year and undoubtedly has its own congested rush hour, though happily I was to avoid this. Impressively, the Glasgow Subway is the third-oldest subway system in the world, after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. Opening on 14 December 1896 it started out life as a clutch-and-cable railway, though soon became electrified. Its initial title was the Glasgow District Railway, though changed to the Glasgow Underground in 1936, with the SPT officially adopting the 'subway' name as late as 2003. 'Back in the day', an original Oldbury Railway Carriage.

In the early years, there was no cable installed to permit trains to move between lines, so they were hoisted across by train; a crane was also used to lift them from their subterranean tracks to the first maintenance depot near Govan station. The main advantage of lifting trains between tracks using a crane was that neither line required points and could be operated with minimal oversight. Success, however, didn't come immediately, since an accident on the system's opening day saw no further service until 19 January the following year. Twenty one-car trains were initially operated. Built by the Oldbury Railway Carriage and Car Company based in Worcestershire, these work-horses generally remained in service until 1977 - ain impressive 81 years' service in many cases. People complain that the BR Class 141 'Pacer' is long overdue a replacement: imagine being told they were to remain in service for another 40 years! Of the initial order for 20, only ten operated during the first year, with the balance arriving in 1897 and in 1898 a further ten additional carriages were built by the same manufacturer and used to form two-car trains.

Six of the original cars were 'dumped' here at Beamish, seen two years after their withdrawal from service. At the time the Subway was closed, undergoing massive refurbishment. Interestingly, all original stations were built as island examples, with trains calling at the same block of concrete. This necessitated trains to have doors on one side only. Today this is different, with numerous stations conforming to the style seen throughout the heavy-rail network in the UK, i.e. a platform per direction. With World War I long gone, the Glasgow District Railway sold out to Glasgow Corporation in 1923. The original plum and cream livery was retained and it wasn't until 1936 that the next major alterations took place: electrification. Gone was the original livery by 1950, replaced with a more bland red and white colour scheme. A man called Beeching had his say about Britain's rail network during the 1960s, though a weakness of the Subway became a strength at this time: it had no direct link to the overground rail network; consequently when Beeching's axe fell on Buchanan Street and St Enoch stations, their equivalent subterranean sisters remained unscathed.

By the end of the '60s, the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive took over responsibility of the Subway from Glasgow Corporation. Wholesale modernisation came at the end of the 1970s, with the original trains being replaced with 33 brand-new Metro Cammell carriages, built in Birmingham and equipped with GEC electric motors. Regrettably though, the replacement of rolling stock was the least of the Subway's worries: ridership had waned impressively, partly due to the closure of Glasgow's dockyards and also the demolition of large numbers of social housing south of the River Clyde. Although stalwarts, the trains were becoming less reliable and a breakdown caused massive delays since the only way a 'dead' train could be taken out of the way was by crane. Stations were looking dilapidated and an 'earthy' smell was commonplace down there. Then a crack was spotted in the roof of the then named Govan Street Station....... From 24 March - 2 May 1977 all services were suspended pending 'crack investigation'. Although trains resumed operation, the entire Subway network closed 19 days later following the emergence of yet more cracks at Govan Street.

From 21 May 1977 to 16 April 1980 the Subway remained closed, while stations were extensively renovated; a new one was built at Patrick; a moving walkway was installed between Buchanan Street and Queen Street stations; escalators were installed for the first time at some localities; new ticket machines and automated ticket barriers were installed, which saw-off the use for conductors; and a new livery/colour scheme was applied. This livery coined the system's nickname 'The Clockwork Orange': a vibrant orange, er, SPTE red, seen here in 1980 The Subway was officially opened by The Queen on 1 November 1979, not far off the system's 83rd birthday. Her Majesty declared the Glasgow Subway open, wishing well the new trains in their bright orange livery (with a white stripe) and inspecting the new-look stations that were predominantly coloured brown, yellow and off-white.

It wasn't long before the eye-straining livery was toned down to a more acceptable, darker shade of orange, which didn't show up dirt as much, and during the 1990s this was replaced by the existing livery seen today (SPT's carmine-red and cream). Interestingly, both shades of orange livery adopted were officially referred to as 'Strathclyde PTE red' to alleviate any sectarian sensitivities in the city. The toned-down(!!), slightly redder livery applied in the late-80s. As for 'The Clockwork Orange' name, its origins are split between the infamous Stanley Kubrik 1971 movie adaptation of a book with the same name, and a one-liner made by the then chairman of British Rail, Sir Peter Parker, who referred to the system as "the original Clockwork Orange". Certainly the date the movie aired and the one-liner muttered tie-in well. Who knows? A very rare shot indeed - a Metro Cammell carriage seen in daylight at the Broomloan Road depot. As to the future, the Glasgow Subway could be in line for an extension.

In 2007 SPT shared with the city the plans its consultants had recommended: major refurbishment of the existing rolling stock and stations, costing £270 million; and the expansion of the existing network at a cost of £2.3 billion, including a new East End Circle, with seven new stations. The latter aim is to make better use of transport links in the city that have a poor rail service. The original map. Click for an enlargement. The network itself is unusual in that it hasn't been altered at all, though a couple of stations have gone/been built and re-named. I was very impressed with my short ride aboard Carriage 002 on the Glasgow Subway. Trains appeared to operate to a six-minute frequency and I let the first three go by in order to capture some photos at the station where I boarded. I suspect that for the drivers monotony could set in a little too quickly; with a round trip taking a mere 20 minutes on the 'inner', how many rotations would a Subway driver be expected to undertake per shift? The lack of daylight must also be a downer, too.

The next time I find myself in Glasgow, I'll be making a bee-line for the Subway, if only to complete the 'outer' line and completely tick the box! (GL) Britain’s Other Underground Train, Tube, Metro Rail Systems, and Networks - Anglotopia.net Anglotopia.net British Slang: 48 British Words For Driving That You May Not Know Check Out Our Slang Dictionary! Check out Anglotopia's Dictionary of British Slang - Your Complete Guide to over 1,000 British Slang Words and Phrases. Available from All Major Retailers. Click here for more info Buy Now In Print Buy Now for Your Kindle Buy Now for iPad - Anglotees Introducing Anglotees Anglotees is our sister business that offers up 2 British Themed T-shirt to buy a week and available only for 1 week. This Week's New Design Issue #4 Now Shipping! We received Issue #4 from the printer last week and have begun the process of shipping out. There’s almost 900 to send, so it will take a about 7-10 days to ship them all out. It will be with you soon! Related Issue #4 is Almost Done!

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Related Issue #3 Has Gone to Press We sent Anglotopia Magazine Issue #3 to the printers at the end of July and we’re expecting them around August 12th, at which point we will mail them out to all subscribers and those who pre-ordered the single issue. It should take us about a week or so to send them all out – there’s […] 2017 Magazine Schedule Issue #5 Publication/Shipping - Late February 2017 Issue #6 Publication/Shipping - Late April/May 2017 Issue #7 Publication/Shipping - August 2017 London Annual - September 2017 Issue #8 Publication/Shipping - November 2017 Anglotopia Magazine Past Articles You are here: Home / Anglophilia / Britain’s Other Underground Train, Tube, Metro Rail Systems, and Networks Britain’s Other Underground Train, Tube, Metro Rail Systems, and Networks March 1, 2011 By Jonathan One of the best things about London is its extensive underground trains system, also known as the Tube. It’s a lot of fun to ride (at least in the non-summer months), and no trip to London is complete without riding the rails.

The Tube has this certain feeling about it – this certain nostalgia. Very few things define London just by existing, and the London Underground is one of them. But did you know that Britain has 3 other underground/metro networks that are pretty cool in their own right? That’s right; Glasgow, Tyne & War and Liverpool all have substantial underground metro rail systems. Here’s a bit about them all. Glasgow Subway The Glasgow Subway is an underground metro line in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. Formerly a cable railway, the Subway was later electrified, but its twin circular lines were never expanded. Originally known as the Glasgow District Railway, the system was renamed the Glasgow Underground in 1936. Despite this rebranding, many Glaswegians resolutely continued to refer to the network as “the Subway.” It remains one of only four underground metro-type systems in the U.K., the others being the London Underground, London Docklands Light Railway and the Tyne and Wear Metro.

A £40,000 study examining the feasibility of an expansion into the city’s south side is in progress. The Glasgow Subway and its adjacent public houses are the focal point of a pub crawl known as the Subcrawl. Participants buy an all-day Discovery ticket, disembark at each of the 15 stations, and have a drink in the nearest bar. Two of the stations (West Street and Shields Road) are not very near a pub or bar; however, Subcrawls are popular amongst young Glaswegians and especially students at both of the universities in the city. A Subcrawl usually takes a whole day, and completing a crawl (drinking in the same pub you started in) is regarded as quite an achievement – especially if you can still walk afterward. A ticket on the Glasgow Subway, unlike many other underground systems, does not use a distance-based fare structure. A ticket allows passengers to stay on the underground for as long as they like. Excluding the Discovery Ticket, all child prices are half those of adults. Single and return tickets can be purchased for travel on the same day. Discovery tickets allow unlimited travel on the underground for one day, and as of 2010 can be purchased at any time.

Previously, they had been available only after 9.30am on Mondays to Fridays. Ten-journey, 20-journey and 7-day unlimited tickets are also available. In January 2009, there was an increase in ticket prices to £1.20 for a single and £2.40 for a return. Glasgow Subway Official Website Tyne and Wear Metro The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, and Sunderland. It opened in 1980, and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly 78 kilometres (48 mi). It is operated by DB Regio (a subsidiary of German railway Deutsche Bahn) on behalf of Nexus. The Metro is usually described as Britain’s first modern light rail system. It can be considered a hybrid system, displaying elements of light rail, heavy underground metro, and longer-distance, high-speed suburban and interurban railway systems. Metro is an “open access” network with no fixed ticket controls.

Despite this, the Tyne and Wear Metro has the highest level of passenger income per year (£40 million in 2009/2010) of all the light rail systems outside London. Checks are made by roving patrols of inspectors. Ticket gates are due to be re-installed at several main stations during 2011 after an upgrade of the system’s ticket machines. The original gates, which were found on every station when the system was opened, were removed in the late ’80s due to safety concerns. They remain in place at several key stations to assist with crowd control. Metro was the first underground train network in the U.K. to install repeaters allowing customers to use their mobile phone in tunnels, an achievement that is being closely watched by the London Underground. Metro does not allow the carriage of standard bicycles, though there are storage lockers for these at some stations. Only small folding bicycles are permitted on the Metro, and technically only Nexus-approved models of folding bikes are permitted. Photography is allowed on Metro, but written permission is required. Smoking has been forbidden since opening — one of the first comprehensive smoking bans. Metro pioneered the playing of classical music in some of its stations to deter vandalism.

In 1998, Frederick Delius’s Incidental Music to Hassan was chosen by Metro to be played over its public address system as a deterrent to vandals. The Director General of Nexus was quoted as saying: “The aim is not to soothe but to provide a background of music that people who we are aiming at don’t actually like, and so they move away. It’s been pretty successful.” In 2005, the London Underground began to follow Metro’s example. The Tyne and Wear Metro was also the first railway in the U.K. to operate using the metric system; all its speeds and distances are measured in metric units only. Official Tyne & Wear Metro Website Liverpool Merseyrail Merseyrail is a train-operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with some diesel working on the operationally separate City Line. Two of the City Line branches are being electrified with completion planned for 2016. The network has 67 stations spread across 75 miles of route of which 6.5 miles is underground. It carries over 100,000 passengers each day.

It is one of the most heavily used railway systems in the United Kingdom, outside of London. Merseyrail was established in 1969, but was integrated into one system in 1977 when new tunnels were constructed under Liverpool’s city centre and Birkenhead, connecting previously separate railway routes. This created a large, comprehensive urban railway network. Although financial constraints prevented some of the earlier plans being realised, the original 1970s network has been extended with more extensions proposed. The Merseyrail name became the official brand for the network in the days of British Rail, and has survived through several franchise holders, although it was not used by Arriva when it held the franchise. Despite this, Merseytravel continued the Merseyrail branding at stations, allowing the name to stick colloquially. Merseyrail is referred to as “Merseyrail Electrics” by National Rail Enquiries, and as “Serco/Ned Railways Merseyrail” by Merseytravel. The system is one of the busiest British urban commuter systems outside London, transporting over 100,000 passengers a day.

Train services run on two lines, the Northern Line and Wirral Line, covering the Liverpool suburban area and Merseyside. The total track length is 75 miles (121 km), and there are 67 stations. The Northern Line links Liverpool city centre with Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby to the north, and Hunts Cross to the south. The Wirral Line, extending under the River Mersey, links Liverpool with New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port. Operating as a self-contained network, there are relatively few problems because of less conflict with other train-operating companies. Merseyrail has publicly committed to aiming to be the best train-operating company in the U.K. In February 2010, Merseyrail were named the most reliable operator of trains in the U.K., with a reliability average of 96.33% during 2009-2010, the highest ever achieved by any U.K. train operator. Some pictures and content used were taken from Wikipedia. Share this:

Question: ‘The Clockwork Orange’ is the nickname of which British city’s underground railway system?
Answer: Glasgow