Before going to Glasgow the only underground train transport system that I had ever been on was the London Underground.

It was therefore a bit of a surprise to find a fast and efficient underground system in Glasgow. This underground was originally opened in 1896 and is the world’s third oldest subway. In 1977 the whole system was closed for a massive modernisation and re-opened in 1980.

The underground is a continuous oval circuit around the city of Glasgow, both on the north and south sides of the River Clyde, with 15 stations. On the outer circle the trains run in a clockwise direction and on the inner circle the trains run in an anti-clockwise direction.

At two of the stations the underground has an interchange with the surface railway system and at four of the stations there are Park and Ride facilities.

The trains run between every 4 minutes to every 8 minutes depending upon the time of day. Each train is three carriages long and appears to be a popular way to travel around the city.

The trains are a bit noisy and in some places the trains do get a bit bumpy, so I would not recommend a journey if you have a hangover. But the trains are clean and the seats quite comfortable.

Any single journey costs 90p, although there are reductions for season tickets. If you are travelling after 9.30am in the morning then you can buy a Discovery Ticket. This ticket costs £1.60 and gives unlimited travel all day. We found this the most convenient ticket to buy and even though there is no reduction for children it meant that we could use the underground all day and it was a very cheap way to get about.

The city of Glasgow seems to have recognised that cheap, efficient public transport is the best way to reduce traffic congestion in the town centre and this underground system plays a major part in this transport policy.

Next time we are in Glasgow we shall be sure to use the underground as it is so con
venient to use.