Gordon Maclennan – Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

“If we don’t need to do it, dump it. If we do need to do it, we’ll make it a lot better.”

Transit Unplugged continues its journey through the United Kingdom. On this episode, Paul is in Glasgow, Scotland to visit the third oldest subway system in the world, dating back to 1896. While there he chats with Gordon Maclennan, Chief Executive of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). Having the third oldest subway in the world means major modernizations are taking place. Maclennan dives into the £288-million plan to modernize the system track and station refurbishments, tunnel upgrades, and new railcars.

The two, once again, discuss the unique elements of a deregulated bus service, one that spans the entirety of the UK. They specifically chat about the interesting aspect of competitors sharing the same bus stop and the timetable challenges that sometimes arise because of their competing nature.

An engineer by trade, Maclennan arrived at SPT in 2006 and became the Chief Executive in 2010. He expresses his enjoyment of his role, saying, “I do enjoy it, and it’s a very, very worthwhile and fruitful career, in terms of your personal development.”

If you want to know more about SPT, check out their website.

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