Hillhead subway station

Hillhead
Scottish Gaelic: Hillhead[1]
General information
Location	248 Byres Road Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8SH[2] Scotland
Coordinates	55°52′33″N 4°17′32″W
Operated by	SPT
Platforms	2 (side platforms)
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	No[2]
Bicycle facilities	No[2]
Accessible	No[3]
History
Opened	14 December 1896
Rebuilt	16 April 1980; 44 years ago (1980-04-16)
Passengers
2018	1.831 million[4]
2019	1.837 million[5]
2020	0.651 million[5]
2021	0.837 million[5]
2022	1.623 million[6]
Services
Preceding station SPT Following station Kelvinhall anticlockwise / inner circle Glasgow Subway Kelvinbridge clockwise / outer circle
Location
Notes Passenger statistics provided are gate entries only. Information on gate exits for patronage is incomplete, and thus not included.[7]

Hillhead subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway, serving the Hillhead area of Glasgow, Scotland, and is the principal station that serves the city's West End. The entrance is located on Byres Road.

This station is the nearest to Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the University of Glasgow.

The station is one of the busiest on the system with 1.86 million boardings per year.[8] This is largely due to the shopping facilities of Byres Road and proximity to the university, which allows students to travel between campus and the city centre.

History

During the modernisation of the underground system between 1977 and 1980, Hillhead subway station went through major rebuilding. Previously the station had a single island platform serving both tracks; the station was rebuilt with a much more spacious ticket office, escalators and an additional side platform.

Hillhead is one of the stations mentioned in Cliff Hanley's song The Glasgow Underground. The song reflects the traditional local pronunciation of the name, "Hillheed".[9]

Current layout

There are three automated ticket machines located in the entrance way, which leads up to an information centre where passengers may buy tickets of longer duration and get more information on transport in Glasgow. There is also a ticket office which is staffed by one clerk at a time. There are six turnstiles into which a ticket must be entered in order to pass. There are three for entering and three for exiting the subway.

Two escalators and one staircase provide access to the two platforms, and maps are present to guide passengers to the correct platform for their destination.

This is the only station on the network to feature a retail unit inside the station. Beside the ticket office, there is a Costa Pronto store.

The platform features, on one side, a perspex barrier with a handrail which was built for safety reasons.[10]

Modernisation

Hillhead was the first station to be upgraded as part of SPT's plan to modernise the Subway at a cost of £1.5million. Under the plans, the escalators were replaced and the interior design was refreshed. Lighting and facilities for disabled people were also improved. In addition, SPT commissioned author and artist Alasdair Gray to create a piece of public artwork for the station. The improvement work was completed in 2012.[11]

Alasdair Gray mural

On 16 September 2012 a mural that depicts the surrounding area was unveiled in the station's foyer. The work is by Alasdair Gray, and was developed over fourteen months with artist Nichol Wheatley using ceramics. Gray stated, "The station is in the centre of Hillhead, which I know well. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the old BBC building and Botanic Gardens had been among my favourite places since the age of eleven. I have lived and worked in the district since 1969, and I knew I would enjoy depicting it, and those who use the subway, in a symbolic and humorous way."[12]

Past passenger numbers

• 2011/12: 1.834 million annually[13]

References

1. King, Jake (12 July 2020). "Glasgow's Gaelic Underground". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
2. "Maps & stations". spt.co.uk. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
3. "Accessibility & mobility". spt.co.uk. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
4. "Request for some usage statistics". Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. 11 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019 – via WhatDoTheyKnow.
5. "Station usage statistics" (PDF). Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. 20 July 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023 – via WhatDoTheyKnow.
6. "Request for annual Subway station patronage 2022". 22 February 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023 – via WhatDoTheyKnow.
7. "Freedom of Information Request: Subway Station Usage Statistics" (PDF). Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. 3 August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023 – via WhatDoTheyKnow.
8. Statistics and Trends (PDF). Glasgow, Scotland: Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2007.
9. "YouTube - The Glasgow Underground". Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
10. "UrbanRail.net -- Glasgow". Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
11. "Deputy First Minister opens revamped Subway station". 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
12. "Alasdair Gray Glasgow subway mural is unveiled". BBC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
13. "Freedom of Information request: Subway station patronage - 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012". Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019 – via WhatDoTheyKnow.