Glasgow Subway is to receive part of a £9 million emergency fund from the Scottish Government after seeing huge losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding will also be delivered to the Edinburgh Trams in response to the ongoing crisis. The emergency measures will be in place from July to the end of September.
Glasgow Live previously reported that the Subway was under threat after seeing losses of up to £20 million and a 97% fall in passenger journeys.
The funding announcement follows detailed discussions with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Edinburgh Trams regarding available resources. These discussions have been undertaken in light of the published 'COVID-19: Framework for Decision Making and the Transport Transition Plan'.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “The Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams provide key connections within our two biggest cities and as we emerge through the stages of lockdown demand for public transport will continue to rise. The services provide essential capacity and link with bus, rail and park and ride facilities.
“Over the next three months we will provide up to £9 million of financial support to operators to enable services to continue. Any restrictions on these services could have placed unsustainable demands on other modes, especially bus and so this funding will assist capacity across all public transport.
“I would like to thank all the people working across the light rail sector who have, and continue to, provide these important connections. These services have allowed our key workers and others who needed to travel for essential journeys to do so during very challenging circumstances. Going forward the subway and tram will help our wider society and economy recover as we emerge through the next phases of easing lockdown.
“We will continue to monitor the demand, capacity and costs of support across all transport modes over the coming months.”
