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on Co-ordination

18th January 1957
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Page 46, 18th January 1957 — on Co-ordination
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Variety is the keynote of public transport in Glasgow, which forms the subject of the last in this series on the four Scottish cities. Edinburgh was dealt with last week, and Aberdeen and Dundee on January 4.

SOON there will be few places outside the city boundary to which one will be able to ride on a Glasgow bus or tram. The corporation have agreed with the British Transport Commission that, with some exceptions, they will confine their activities to within the boundary as it was in 1937, an area in which they have a statutory monopoly.

The extensive withdrawals that will follow the agreement are, perhaps, more surprising than the change of motive power, to which I shall refer later, when it is remembered that about £750,000 was paid for the Paisley and Airdrie trams and subsequent improvements. It will cost the city about £425,000 to reinstate the roads when the withdrawals at present proposed have been effected, but it is estimated that there will be a saving of £80,000 a year.

Until 1925, Glasgow relied entirely on trams. Since then, there has been a steady increase in the size of the bus fleet, and the trams are now in a minority.

For many years, there has been a small but vociferous anti-tram party, and as far back as 1927, the tramways committee, by a small majority, asked for power to convert parts of the system in Airdrie and Paisley to motorbus operation. They were probably. moved by the fierce competition which the trams were then suffering from a horde of new bus owners, but it is hardly surprising that the full council rejected the proposal in view of the short time which had elapsed since the

• purchase of the two undertakings. Especially as, in addition to the purchase price, £325,000 was being spent on new and modernized cars and on new track. In the 1930s there was persistent pressure to experiment with trolleybuses •and, in 1934, powers were obtained to operate them on any tram route. Four years later, the then general manager, Mr. R. F. Smith, reported that the complete replacement of the trams by c6 trolleybuses would be likely to increase annual costs by £300,000_ He said that the average speed of the Glasgow trams was higher than that of any trolleybuses in English towns.

Instead, he recommended the construction of 125 new trams and the fitting of new trucks or bodies to 500 existing cars. It was in pursuance of this policy that the 100 famous "Coronation cars" were put on the road in 1938-39, followed by 50 more in 1940. As late as 1948-49, the corporation built 100 equal-wheel-bogie trams with seats for 70 passengers. Six more new cars, and 46 bought from Liverpool, have since been added.

Meanwhile, the general manager, Mr. E. R. L. Fitzpayne, and his staff, had been giving thought to the whole future of transport in the Glasgow area. For readers not familiar with the Clyde Valley, I must make it clear that the layout of the transport system is completely different from that which existed in London in the tramway era, and even from that in Birmingham. which has a comparable population.

Although on a larger scale, it is akin to the former Newcastle layout in that all the main central streets carry trams. They also provide cross-city and crosssuburban services, and operate on both sides of the river, until recently crossing over seven bridges to do so.

The increased use of private cars since the war has added to the always considerable congestion in the city centre. I was astonished on my recent visit to see that the police allow ears to be left in so busy a thoroughfare as Hope Street in such a way that all moving traffic is forced on to the tram lines.

What with this, and the great amount of collection and delivery that has to be done through the front doors' of business premises, I am sceptical about the argument that the complete removal of trams would in itself abolish congestion, Something like this was probably in Mr. Fitzpayne's mind when, in 1948, he produced his imaginative plan for rapid-transit lines.

Glasgow Corporation have an underground electric railway working in a circle which, starting at St. Enoch's in the city centre, goes about 2+ miles westwards north and south of the river. It has, however, restricted tunnels and a gauge of only 4 ft., and it is not therefore possible to bring it into an integrated system with the trams or main-line railways.

In the city there are extensive lengths of underground steam lines belonging to British Railways and, of course, linked with the general railway system. Because of 19thcentury competition, Glasgow has many suburban railways, some now of doubtful value and others extensively used. If some of these lines could be electrified, and suitable connections made, considerable traffic might be transferred from the streets.

At the same time, could the corporation's reserved tram-tracks be retained and employed in the scheme? In other words, could the advantages of electric traction be obtained without the retention of the bulk of the street tram system, or a widespread introduction of trolleybuses, with all the complications entailed in working over the numerous junctions and crossings of a large system?

Co-ordinating Different Systems Mr. Fitzpayne selected several of the railway lines which, if electrified, would provide services both into the centre and across the suburbs. To fill in the gaps which would be left, he proposed to take advantage both of the existing tram reservations (for example, in Great Western Road) and of the city engineer's plan for new arterial roads.

A certain amount of new underground construction would be needed in the centre, and this would be planned to make easy interchange with• the corporation's underground railway. By the use of two-car sets accommodating 130 passengers; and made up in the peaks in multiples, it was proposed to give a service at practically tram headways but at a much higher average speed. Motorbuses or trolleybuses would be organized to feed the electric lines.

At about the same time as Mr. Fitzpayne's scheme was under consideration, the B.T.C. appointed a committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Robert Inglis, to examine the situation in the Clyde Valley in the light of the common ownership of the railways and of Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd. The committee realized the need for electrification, but they were critical of the continued operation of trams, and considered that the corporation's activities should not extend beyond the city boundaries.

Whilst negotiations arising out of the Inglis report were dragging on, Glasgow was faced with 'a formidable rolling-stock problem. Some 450 trams, representing about 40 per cent. of the fleet, were at the end of their useful life, and a decision had to be taken about replacing them. About 150 had to be withdrawn. Some of these were replaced by the ex-Liverpool trams, but the department was left tight for rolling-stock.

An experimental trolleybus service with 70-seat vehicles (the largest corporation tram seats 72, and the majority only 59) replaced the Provanmill-Polmadie trams in 1949, and proved extremely successful. A group of trolleybus services has since been built up, and trams have been taken off the Albert and Victoria Bridges.

Apart from the operating characteristics of the trolleybus, there is a strong argument for electric pro pulsion in Glasgow. The Corporation's generating station was not nationalized, and some £2m. has been spent in modernizing it.

Five-year Conversion Plan

Instead of building more new trams, Mr. Fitzpayne recommends a five-year plan for the conversion of the Paisley area services to motorbus working. This would have perpetuated the existing cross-city routeing and would have automatically taken the trams off other stretches of road. In addition, two tram routes from the Kelvinside area to Langside, which were diverted over Glasgow Bridge when trolleybuses were put on to Victoria Bridge, would be converted to motorbuses and revert to the former route. And two services using Goval Road, but not entering the city centre, would be converted to trolleybuses.

It had already been agreed to transfer two local Paisley routes to Western S.M.T. The new proposals would have made it possible to close Elderslie depot and the Paisley sub-station, and trams would have been removed from another central bridge, the King George V, which would be served entirely by motorbuses, and from King's Bridge (Glasgow Green). which would be served by trolleybuses.

Since this plan was put out as a means for dealing with the problem of the obsolete trams, agreement has been reached with the B.T.C. The plan will be put into force as far as the city area is concerned, but it will not apply in Paisley and Renfrew. It was originally expected that, next month, the Renfrew Road services would be cut back to Hillington Road and the Paisley Road services to Crookston Road, but the withdrawal of trams has now been deferred until the M i(Idle East crisis is solved.

It is at present uncertain what will happen about through services. It has been assumed that Western S.M.T. will be granted licences for them, as well as for the local services in Paisley and Renfrew, but applications have been received from four other operators. Through passengers will certainly lose the advantage of the cheap corporation maximum fares of 6d. by tram and 7d. by bus.

Despite Mr. Fitzpayne's bold approach in 1948, Glasgow's problem is still being tackled piecemeal. It would seem that the 1948 plan is dead, but no decision has yet been made about the steps to be taken to integrate the working of the corporation system with the railway plan for electrification.

Party Polities Involved Nor is it certain what motive power is to be used when, and if, the remaining trams are scrapped. There were 988 at May 31, compared with 833 motorbuses and 95 troIleybuses. Unfortunately, instead of being decided on technical grounds, this question has become involved with party politics. By 50 votes to 20, the council decided in September against making plans for the complete elimination of trams at an early date. Fear of fuel rationing, because of the "world situation " at that time, was given as the reason.

Financial prudence dictates that any change must take place gradually. There is at present a £2,919,000 debt outstanding on the trams, to which must be added the enormous cost of reinstating a large part of the carriageway (a half or more in most eases) over 116 miles of road.

It would be easy to get into the position which has arisen in so many other towns, where the over-hasty truncation of tram services has left portions of a onceextensive system to carry a heavy debt. There has then been a rush to buy more buses to get rid of the trams altogether, so increasing the debt.

Whatever the ultimate decision about motive power, Glasgow is not desisting from experiment. A Leyland Atlantean has been ordered at a cost of £6,150. Thirty Leyland Worldrnaster single-deckers, to be worked without a conductor, and having accommodation for 40 seated and 8 standing passengers, are also on order. When the No. 12 tram service from Linthouse to Mount Florida is converted, it will be worked by 10 35-ft.-long single-deck trolleybuses with 52 seats and room for 10 standing.

In order td give a complete. picture, I must say something about the railway plans. Seventy-one route miles of railway are to be electrified as a first stage, and some services should start in 1961. A curious feature of the agreement is that the area—Renfrew and Paisley— in which the corporation will give up most mileage is not covered in the first stage of the scheme.

Even in their existing state, and handicapped often by irregular or widely spaced headways, the Glasgow suburban railways play an important part in local transport. The management show commendable enterprise in their publicity, and every effort is made to attract business. The cheap corporation maximum fares are countered on the longer distances by low, weekly seasons Cheap day returns attract traffic on the shorter journeys.

When I asked corporation officials how they felt about this competition they said that without the train services it would not he possible to carry all the people who need to move during business hours.

Densely Populated Inner Zone Unlike many other cities, Glasgow still retains a densely populated inner zone because of the building of multi-storey tenements many years ago. There is thus a continuing demand for dose headway services, and the general opinion seems to be that the electrification of, for instance, the Cathcart circle, will not adversely affect the corporation, despite the facilities offered by the close proximity of the stations.

It seems to me that there were merits in the 1948 scheme which therailway electrification plan, good though it is, does not possess. I wonder what will be the effect of the interregnum' between the withdrawal of trams and the institution, several years hence, of the electric train services beyond the city boundaries? The replacing bus services will take over and build up goodwill which, presumably, they will fight to retain. Or, when electrification is complete, is it intended to reduce the bus services running parallel to the railways?


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