Clyde Metro possible routes and cost known by 2027
Glasgow Labour has claimed the Metro scheme is a 'stalled plan dressed up as progress' — with no start date and no funding committed.
READ NEXT:Glasgow's drug consumption centre is working says health secretary
Transport spokesman Cllr Saqib Ahmed said: 'Clyde Metro should be Glasgow's next great infrastructure revolution — but right now, it's just another SNP soundbite.'
A spokesman for the city's SNP group said the cross-party Glasgow City Region cabinet has allocated £12m to advance the business case, which Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is progressing.
'That's a considerable amount of spend and effort for a soundbite,' he added.
The funding, which will support the development of the case for investment (CFI), is from the City Deal, a more than £1bn infrastructure programme funded by both the UK and Scottish governments.
Council officials have said the CFI will identify the funding strategy for 'subsequent stages of the Clyde Metro programme'.
READ NEXT:'Don't blame us': Taxis hit back in Glasgow city centre transport row
They also said 'one of the key objectives is to improve the sustainable transport access to Glasgow Airport' and this will 'continue to feature as a key priority in all the options we are exploring.'
At a council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Kieran Turner, Labour, asked whether there would be potential routes and costs at the end of the CFI process.
An official said: 'Yes, absolutely. At the moment, as part of the initial engagement, we have four network options which were presented.
'Those network options will then get synthesised into a preferred network.'
The process will involve deciding on which modes of transport will be included, such as heavy rail or tram, as well as a recommendation on 'what the first move needs to be'.
Cllr Turner added: 'Until people start to see something that is a little more concrete, even in terms of option selection, there are still going to be questions in our constituents' minds around if any of this is ever going to happen.
'Is lots of money just getting spent on consultants? And will anything come of this?'
The official said there will be answers at the end of the case for investment, including potential timelines. It will be 'absolutely critical' for securing 'a commitment from government to give funding', he said.
Public consultation on the project could be held in spring or summer next year.
After the meeting, Cllr Ahmed said: 'Communities have waited too long for transformation. Instead, they've been left behind by a government more focused on branding than building.
'Glasgow Labour will keep fighting for real investment in our transport network.'
Labour want a commitment from the Scottish Government to fund phase one of the Metro project and a 'clear, costed and deliverable' construction timeline.
The SNP spokesman said Clyde Metro is 'an agreed national transport priority'. 'Labour's failure to deliver the type of modern transport system developed by our peers during their time in power in Glasgow is why we have decades of missed opportunities to catch up on.
'If Labour councillors want to start being constructive perhaps they can insist from their party colleagues that we received a share of the £15bn the Chancellor is allocating to English cities for major transport projects.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
No commitment to scrap two-child benefit cap until funding is clear
The Government will not commit to lifting the two-child benefit cap until it is clear how it will be paid for, a minister has told the Commons. Further calls to scrap the controversial policy were made by Labour backbenchers on Tuesday, during a Conservative-led debate focused on retaining the cap. There were more than 1.6 million children living in households in England, Wales and Scotland affected by the two-child benefit limit in April, according to figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions last week. Work and pensions minister Alison McGovern said the Child Poverty Task Force will look at 'all the levers across incomes, costs, debt and local support that we can pull to prevent poverty, including social security reform'. Speaking during the opposition day debate, she added: 'Our universal credit review is considering ways that the system can improve in order to stabilise family finances and provide routes into good work. 'And on the two-child limit, specifically, the consequences, as I've said in my speech, of the Conservative choices made over the past decade and a half are clear for all to see. 'We have rightly said many times we will not commit to any policy without knowing how we are going to pay for it.' Labour MP for Rochdale, Paul Waugh, said: '59% of families (who) have more than two children, on universal credit, are in work, and that's far from the feckless parent caricature that we've heard today from the Conservatives. 'And more importantly, does she agree with me that actually it's the children (who) should come first, and because the children should come first, we should urgently scrap the two-child cap as quickly as possible?' Ms McGovern declined to respond directly to Mr Waugh's question, instead arguing that the Conservative Party 'only wants to divide people'. Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth Brian Leishman also said 'the Government should lift it immediately', adding: 'Having a child is a blessing, not a blessing everyone receives, and the two-child cap is an inherently cruel policy that punishes the least advantaged. 'The idea that a third or a fourth or a fifth child is worth less than the first two is beyond wicked.' Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately had described the welfare bill as a 'ticking time bomb' as she opened the debate. She added: 'We have brought forward this debate today on the two-child limit, because somebody has to make the case for fiscal responsibility, for living within our means, for fairness, for making sure work pays, and for keeping the two-child cap.' MPs rejected the Conservatives' motion that the benefit cap should remain, with 106 voting in favour, 440 against, majority 334.
ITV News
31 minutes ago
- ITV News
Northern Ireland Secretary Benn accuses Conservatives of making 'false promises' to Army veterans
Hundreds of veterans have marched outside Parliament to protest against the possible repeal of the Legacy Act. MPs debated the Act inside the House of Commons for almost three hours on Monday. The controversial Legacy Act was put in place by the former Conservative Government to stop all but the most serious Troubles-related cases in Northern Ireland from being investigated further. The Labour Government announced it would replace the act after criticism over immunity for soldiers by human rights groups. Army veterans fear a repeal could lead to a 'two-tier' justice system in which IRA paramilitaries are given immunity but British soldiers are left open to prosecution. Aldwin Wight, 72, a former special forces commanding officer who lives in Cornwall, said: 'These are people we've served with.'They're very close to us, and seeing them caught up in this sort of endless doom loop of legislation is not good.'We're in a fairly dark situation at the moment in security terms and therefore there are going to be incidents and you've got to have people who are willing to step forward and take on the hard tasks.'And you don't want to do that as it were, with your solicitor in your pocket.'You want to do it with a clear operational view of what you're doing.'Conservative and Labour MPs are deeply divided on the issue. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party who served in Northern Ireland, said: "We are after one purpose and one purpose only, to find a way to protect those veterans who have been pursued through the courts in a vexatious manner and destroying their lives in the later years". Labour MP Louise Jones said: "The Legacy Act, as it stands, gives immunity to terrorists. That is abhorrent". UUP MP Robin Swann told MPs party divisions will not protect veterans."The points scoring that has went on owes somewhat of a disservice to the veterans who are listening and those who served. "There is a duty now to get this right ", he said. All the Unionist parties voiced their concerns about the government's future leader Gavin Robinson said: "Our responsibility as parliamentarians from across this United Kingdom is to say no. We will not assist your request to rewrite the history of the past." UUP leader Jim Alister said: "If this government is going to tackle legacy issues then it needs to tackle and to stem that route which is now producing the potential prosecution of some of the bravest of our citizens."The government has not yet revealed what it proposes as an alternative, but the Secretary of State is adamant the previous government's Legacy Act must be Benn MP said: "We can't have anymore false promises or undeliverable pledges. Pledges that our court have found to be unlawful and that is why we will fix the mess we inherited." Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.
Metro
32 minutes ago
- Metro
How to save 'broken' Britain? Readers discuss patriotic millionaires and propose
Further to the divided nation described in the Shattered Britain survey by More In Common (Metro, Mon). It is ironic that so many people in this country use words such as 'broken' and 'shattered' about Britain when thousands of migrants risk life and limb to get here. Maybe some of them will see this report – in which the most common words used to describe the country were 'broken', 'mess', 'struggling', 'divided' and 'expensive' – and decide not to come! And yet, I do not think the country is as bad as they say it is. All the people I see are quite friendly. When I go shopping, I can always find the things I want. In the odd case of not finding something, there is always another store to find it in. I am sure there are many people in many lands that would like that. But there is a problem with politicians. Labour is not the party it used to be. Instead of helping the underprivileged, it seems to be attacking them. The really galling thing is there seems to be no idea about trying to get any money from the very rich. There was an article in Metro about a group of wealthy individuals who call themselves Patriotic Millionaires who are willing to be taxed more. Has Labour even considered this? Larry, Salford
