Ibrox Station – Rangers Football Club and Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox – The home of Glasgow Rangers Football Club
Ibrox station does what it says on the tin. Its primary purpose is to serve Ibrox stadium, the stronghold of Glasgow Rangers Football Club, and the regular sea of blue clad fans that overwhelm it on a match day. The stadium itself towers over the station and if that doesn’t make it obvious enough, the bright royal blue of the supporters pub opposite, will leave you in no doubt as to which side of the old firm divide you currently stand. To get to the stadium simply look up. The fact that you can see it as soon as you exit the subway makes it very easy to find. It should take around 5 minutes to get there on foot.
The station itself is spacious and has been recently refurbished but has the same mid platform, side platform configuration as at Hillhead and Buchanan Street. On match day, the platforms are crammed, as is much of the rest of the subway network. During the rest of the week though, it is significantly quieter.
The area in and around the station is mainly comprised of industrial units, with many areas west of here having been demolished in recent times. The Glasgow Climbing Centre is in an old church just south of the station and if you are heading to the western end of Pacific Quay, you may be quicker to stop at this station. Cessnock is usually the preferred stop for the western edge of Pacific Quay, if only because the walk is a lot less terrifying.
This station is in the most deprived area of the subway network, although it used to be far worse than it is now. Genuine efforts have been made to improve the quality of living here but many of the areas around the Broomloan, Summertown and the Albion Way were strictly off limits only ten years ago. To this day I still feel slightly on edge around Ibrox. If you are subcrawling then this is probably the riskiest stop on your travels. There is a chippy just down the road from the subway but the Rangers themed pub across the road is usually your best bet. Just be respectful and keep the larking about to a minimum. More liberal times lie ahead.
One notable fact about this area is that the famous scene in Trainspotting where Renton gets put in the taxi in front of a decaying building was filmed just round the corner. The building did not last for very long after the camera’s stopped rolling and I am not sure anyone really knows the exact spot where it was filmed.
In essence, it’s not a busy station during the week but can become like sardines on a match day. Keep an eye on our Twitter, we normally post match days to give you a bit of warning!