Fancy buying an old Glasgow subway carriage? Yours for £5,000
Thomas Nugent
The carriages could be converted into glamping pods or cafes
Up to 20 former Glasgow subway carriages have been put up for sale, with £5,000 price tags.
The city’s old-style trains were gradually taken out of service this year and replaced with new modern cars.
It is hoped the carriages could be bought and reused in a variety of ways including as glamping pods, community hubs, cafes or even art galleries.
Contractors Stadler Rail said the £5,000 sale price would cover the cost of scrappage. They have agreed to waive the fee for charities. Any un-sold carriages will be scrapped at the end of August.
Ben Denton-Cardew, a rail industry lawyer is behind the search for buyers. He told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme there are “many, many” potential uses for the carriages.
He said: “I think they are really part of the fabric of Glasgow, they’ve been more than a train. They’ve been a cultural icon to this city.”
Mr Denton-Cardew says he already has 10 buyers interested in purchasing a carriage.
The train enthusiast warned any interested parties that there would be a substantial cost to move the carriages, but there is loads of potential.
“We’ve talked about glamping pods before, we’ve talked about reuse as cafes, as community hubs or even art studios as former train carriages have been in London before,” he said.
“They’re very easy to repurpose, the interiors can just be stripped out. And, if they are used as buildings, because they are on wheels often they don’t require planning permission. It could be quite an easy job to reuse them.
“We’d really, really like it if anyone in the Glasgow region would like to save one and keep it local. That would really be brilliant.”
The old-style trains were introduced to passenger service on 16 April 1980 as part of the system’s second modernisation project, which started in May 1977.
This project closed the subway for three years.
It introduced 33 Metro-Cammell trains to the system, with eight additional carriages built in 1992 to make all trains three carriages long.
Of the 33 carriages, about 13 have already been disposed of with the rest due to be moved to a scrap yard at the end of August.
One of the legacy carriages has been moved to Glasgow’s Riverside Museum as part of its transport exhibits.
At Hamilton Central station, a former train carriage has been transformed into an interactive art installation, while across the UK there are multiple holiday rentals made out of old train carriages.
SPT
The 44-year-old legacy subway trains were introduced in 1980
A spokesperson for Stadler, the rail stock manufacturers currently in procession of the old stock, said the fleet was being “disposed of responsibility” but they are open to selling the carriages.
A spokesperson for Stadler said: “We are delighted that the Riverside Museum has secured one of the old trains, which is now on display for the citizens of Glasgow and beyond to view and enjoy. We have received a few other inquiries, and these are currently under review.
“For businesses and profit-making entities, Stadler has set a fee of £5,000 to cover the cost of scrappage. However, we have waived this fee for charities and not-for-profit organisations.
“This, we hope, may mean that one or two further carriages are available for the general public to see, promoting the city’s rich history and culture.
“Costs associated with transport and logistics will remain the responsibility of interested parties, including charities and not-for-profit organisations.”
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