Home
News
February 2013
SPT submit Buchanan Street Subway upgrade plans

SPT submit Buchanan Street Subway upgrade plans

February 15 2013

SPT has submitted plans for an extensive overhaul of Buchanan Street Station following the successful refresh of Hillhead, and ongoing works at Ibrox, part of an ongoing £100m station refurbishment programme for Glasgow’s subway network.

Designed by Aedas and to be implemented by Graham Construction the scheme will entail removal of two existing subway entrances and their replacement with two new canopies, as well as external alterations to the Dundas Street entrance.

The £4.2m scheme will also include a remodeling of the station’s dated seventies interior and platform areas to provide a more pleasant environment and enhanced wayfinding.

In their design statement Aedas state: “The proposed design is derived from the most common form of modern subway pop-up, typically represented by the ‘fosterittos’ at Bilbao or the canopies at canary Wharf Underground in London.”

This ‘base case’ has been stretched vertically for enhanced visibility and as a deterrent to budding climbers and is intended to evoke the splendour of Glasgow’s Victorian station roofs and palm houses.

The station will remain operational at all times throughout the work.

15 Comments

#1 Posted by Partick Bateman on 15 Feb 2013 at 12:50 PM

Surely the St Enoch Subway entrances are in more need of a re-design than the Buchanan St ones?

#2 Posted by jim on 15 Feb 2013 at 12:59 PM

Who said that the revamp of Hillhead was successful? I find it bland and clinical to say the least. I can understand the attempt to simplify the logo and branding and the detailing is not necessarily bad but it just ends up feeling boring. i would prefer the the 'dated 70s interior' any day of the week.

#3 Posted by Craig on 15 Feb 2013 at 14:57 PM

Glad to see from the animation that they seem to be removing the pointless ugly bollards from outside the entrances. Ibelieve they are supposed to deter motorcyclists from going down the escalators but am unconvinced they work.

Still no sign of disabled access to the Subway though.

Slightly concerned that people were still standing on the platform when the train departed. I knew somebody who once got chuecked out by security for doing that.

#4 Posted by Eric on 15 Feb 2013 at 16:37 PM

St Enoch should be donr before Buchanan st.It is bland,And cant help think ,it could be reaching other parts of city as the infrastructure is already there.

#5 Posted by Theres no pleasing some people on 15 Feb 2013 at 17:08 PM

St Enochs is next followed by Buchanan Street

#6 Posted by Frank Lloyd Wrong on 17 Feb 2013 at 17:34 PM

Agree that Buchanan Street isn't in most need of these but it's a pretty decent effort. Slightly more amorphic version of what Nommy Foster was doing in Bilbao 20 odd years ago, but much nicer interface with the ground plane.
However, isn't it time someone created a 3D character database which suited Scotland a bit better. If you want realism in these animations, let's have a few tracksuits, bottles of Buckie, Greggs & McD's wrappers and morbid obesity please.

#7 Posted by NC on 18 Feb 2013 at 10:45 AM

It's a shame that the works are only cosmetic. A missed opportunity to link the station at lower level with shops etc to the new shopping centre/Buchanan Galleries/Queen Street.

#8 Posted by David on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:48 AM

Looks like a great improvement to Buchanan Street, increasing pedestrian street level flow with its slender pointy form.

Looking at the 3D animation I can't help think how wonderful stopping up West George Street through Mandella Place would be. With the Church taking centre stage on to a generous pedestrianised section of Buchanan Street. Seems logical in completing the Buchanan Street experience now that the north end will be completely regenerated. It will also improve traffic levels around George Square by punting all the buses (which there are obviously far too many off, each one creating potholes and sunken sections of poorly built and poorly maintained road as it goes, with its 3 passengers on board). north around Cowcaddens. Ahhh buses don't you love them?! Too much to ask?

#9 Posted by MrDibbs on 18 Feb 2013 at 19:13 PM

£100m pounds for subway refurbishment? Why not invest that money in expanding the network- new lines and new stations?

The fact that we are holding onto this antiquated route and desperately trying to preserve it is more of a pride issue than it is serving the necessity of the city's people.

£100m pounds could absolutely play a huge part in expanding the network... to the East End, further North, around the motorway area... the places where people actually need it!

And for the nay- sayers to this idea... more routes = more income = more surplus for renovations in the future......

#10 Posted by David on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:02 AM

#9 We're hardly short of other types of trains in to the City Centre from these areas, and I suspect £100m won't get you too far when it comes to trying to dig a tunnel and build a station.

#11 Posted by wonky on 19 Feb 2013 at 11:42 AM

Precisely David. The Jubilee Line Extension on the London Tube cost 3.5 billion in 1999- taking into consideration REAL WORLD inflation (normally ignored in initial estimates)- then we could be talking DOUBLE that. What cost then a widescale extension of Glasgow subway into the suburbs and satellite towns?
I know this goes against the grain, but why not increase the density of the inner city (where the infrastructure already exists) by encouraging people back to the urban core rather than the other way around?
Is it possible we have got it all wrong (with rising petrol prices etc) and planned suburban sprawl is now coming back to haunt us?

#12 Posted by Jonathan on 19 Feb 2013 at 13:13 PM

Very impressive animation - quite like the architecture too! May i ask who done the animation? worth crediting, and makes my mere sketches and sketchup efforts look like childs play (but then i'm not blessed with a large budget and 3d specialists). Should be a great entry/exit point to the centre of glasgow, but only thing looked odd was the blue sky in glasgow. Cummon who are you trying to fool...

#13 Posted by David on 19 Feb 2013 at 16:35 PM

Wonky, my point is though that there is already a network of trains that reaches out the the suburbs...ie the low levels...so I personally don't see any need at all for any major seed change. There may well be the odd pocket of the burbs that might need a reinstated line or two, and small station, but nothing is seriously wrong. Back on topic though, these proposals look great. I seem to remember seeing a similar animation for the st.enoch improvements, with the same entrance canopies. If they are detailed and constructed well, they could be a real fantastic addition / improvement.

#14 Posted by David on 19 Feb 2013 at 16:36 PM

BTW Jonathan, you've written your post on the 4th day in a row of beautiful, cloud free, blue sky in Glasgow :op