Route
The route is a loop almost 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long and extends both north and south of the River Clyde. The tracks have the unusual narrow gauge of 4 ft (1,219 mm), and a nominal tunnel diameter of 11 feet (3.35 m), even smaller than that of the deep-level lines of the London Underground (11 feet 8 1⁄4 inches or 3.56 m at their smallest); the rolling stock is considerably smaller.
There are two adjacent lines, the Outer Circle and Inner Circle, which have trains running clockwise and anticlockwise respectively around the same route although in separate tunnels. Stations on the Glasgow Subway use a variety of platform layouts including single island platforms, opposing side platforms and in some stations such as Hillhead one side and one island platform.
The subway’s running lines are entirely underground, but the maintenance depot at Broomloan Road (located between the Govan and Ibrox stations) is above ground, as was the earlier depot, also at Govan. Prior to modernisation, trains used to be hoisted by crane onto and off the tracks. Modernisation brought the installation of points and a ramp between Govan and Ibrox where trains can exit the tunnel system to terminate for engineering, cleaning or storage.
The system is owned and operated by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), formerly Strathclyde Passenger Transport, and carried 13.16 million passengers in the period 2005/06. The Subway has been policed by British Transport Police since 2007.
Read more about this topic: Glasgow Subway
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