Transport officials yesterday unveiled plans to bring the Glasgow Subway to east end communities where just one family in four has a car.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) claimed the new line - the first for more than a century - would help deliver historic regeneration under way in some of Scotland's poorest communities.
The new line - which would almost certainly run through existing low-level tunnels which already run to the SECC in the west - would also provide links to 2014 Commonwealth Games venues, several of which are concentrated at Parkhead.
As revealed by The Herald yesterday, SPT has been told by consultants Grant Thornton that the new route to the east will cost between £60m to £120m. Those costs could soar, however, if there are any problems with the tunnels, which are used by commuter trains on the Argyle line.
An SPT report said the study concluded that the line could attain "a demand of up to 1.6 million passengers each year."
The new line would be servicing an area that suffers from poor public transport but which is expected to grow substantially in coming years.
The Clyde Gateway project - which covers Parkhead, Dalmarnock and neighbouring communities - is expected to create 10,000 new homes and 400,000 square metres of industrial premises by 2029. The area's population is forecast to increase by 20,000 in the same period, generating more potential passengers for the Subway, which carries 14 million people a year.
Councillors on SPT's ruling board will this week be asked to approve another £250,000 in spending to take a more detailed look at the new line. Consultants should report back next year in enough time, SPT officials said, to ensure the railway can be ready for the Commonwealth Games.
Officials have already ruled out a far more ambitious project for a second loop for the Subway, which would have cost more than £2bn and used bespoke technology.
The current proposal is for an off-the-shelf separate train system, rather than one built to the existing Subway's unique gauge.
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