McGill’s Buses Limited Yutong E12
McGill’s reveals plans for new £25m Glasgow depot
McGill’s Group has announced plans for a new £25 million depot in central Glasgow as part of future expansion ambitions.
The operator has this week bought a 6.55-acre brownfield site in the Tradeston area and says the investment could deliver as many as 850 jobs.
McGill’s adds that operations at its existing sites will not be affected when the new site is operational – expected by the end of 2026.
The expansion will partly support a planned tripling of its coach fleet to around 300 vehicles as the business looks to boost its private hire interests, cement its relationship with FlixBus, and build up its new Loch Lomond Travel venture.
In addition, the site on Kilbirnie Street, 1.5 miles from the city centre, which will include electric charging infrastructure, is well located if plans for bus franchising in Strathclyde come to fruition, says McGill’s.
For a company that was dead against franchising in Greater Glasgow, it seems that McGill’s have accepted that is a increasing likelihood that it’ll go ahead. Hence the purchase of this land.
Couple of issues with this. Firstly the coaches. Whilst I know McGill’s are a major part of FLiXBUS’s operations it would take a massive expansion of this as well as the Loch Lomond Travel business to be upwards of 300. I’m not disputing this, it just seems a massive increase in a short space of time. Also I’m not sure about the claim that this wouldn’t impact their existing depots. The depots location means it could easily be used for services that run into Glasgow such as the 3 service to Neilston, seen here run by J5025 (SG71OTL) from McGill’s Johnstone depot.
However I suspect that the depot’s real purpose to be a prime base for any Glasgow franchisee. This would give McGill’s a base for any win of a franchise which is odd, given all the noise the company made about franchising when it was proposed. Maybe they’ve changed their minds. Or perhaps they’ve seen the way the wind is blowing. Either way, it’s a statement of intent.
McGill’s Buses Limited Yutong E12
McGill’s reveals plans for new £25m Glasgow depot
McGill’s Group has announced plans for a new £25 million depot in central Glasgow as part of future expansion ambitions.
The operator has this week bought a 6.55-acre brownfield site in the Tradeston area and says the investment could deliver as many as 850 jobs.
McGill’s adds that operations at its existing sites will not be affected when the new site is operational – expected by the end of 2026.
The expansion will partly support a planned tripling of its coach fleet to around 300 vehicles as the business looks to boost its private hire interests, cement its relationship with FlixBus, and build up its new Loch Lomond Travel venture.
In addition, the site on Kilbirnie Street, 1.5 miles from the city centre, which will include electric charging infrastructure, is well located if plans for bus franchising in Strathclyde come to fruition, says McGill’s.
For a company that was dead against franchising in Greater Glasgow, it seems that McGill’s have accepted that is a increasing likelihood that it’ll go ahead. Hence the purchase of this land.
Couple of issues with this. Firstly the coaches. Whilst I know McGill’s are a major part of FLiXBUS’s operations it would take a massive expansion of this as well as the Loch Lomond Travel business to be upwards of 300. I’m not disputing this, it just seems a massive increase in a short space of time. Also I’m not sure about the claim that this wouldn’t impact their existing depots. The depots location means it could easily be used for services that run into Glasgow such as the 3 service to Neilston, seen here run by J5025 (SG71OTL) from McGill’s Johnstone depot.
However I suspect that the depot’s real purpose to be a prime base for any Glasgow franchisee. This would give McGill’s a base for any win of a franchise which is odd, given all the noise the company made about franchising when it was proposed. Maybe they’ve changed their minds. Or perhaps they’ve seen the way the wind is blowing. Either way, it’s a statement of intent.