Further delay to re-opening of Glasgow Central Station announced
Network Rail still awaiting access to fully assess damage as demolition of adjacent building’s unstable masonry gets underway
The main part of Scotland’s busiest station is to remain closed until at least next Wednesday following Sunday’s huge fire which destroyed an adjacent building.
Network Rail had said Glasgow Central would stay shut until at least Monday, but this has been extended as demolition of the remains of the fire-ravaged building got underway on Friday.
The closure of the 147-year-old station, which is used by 33 million people a year, is thought to be unprecedented. ScotRail’s cross-city trains resumed stopping at the low level (underground) platforms on Tuesday.
Specialist engineers from Network Rail have still to be permitted by Glasgow City Council to start a full assessment of damage to the station, although it is thought to be minor.
The complex remains within an exclusion zone set up by the council for the demolition work, which started on Friday with an unstable chimney at the nearest point on the Union Corner site to the station’s eastern edge.
Network Rail said the cordon covered the main, high level area of Central Station, including the Union Street, Gordon Street and Hope Street entrances.
Its spokesperson said: “With the Council’s critical work still underway, Network Rail engineers cannot yet gain access to the station.
“We will continue to work closely with council as its teams progress the demolition and stabilisation of the area.
“Planning for a potential partial reopening of the high level [station] is ongoing for when access is restored.”
The Scotsman revealed the plans on Wednesday, which could see platforms ten to 15 on the west side of the station reopened for routes such as to Paisley and Ayr.
Network Rail Scotland route director Ross Moran said: “The damage to the building beside the station is clearly significant and any phased reopening will depend on demolition work progressing to a stage that allows our engineers to safely return.”
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said the Union Corner building posed a risk to the public and has been cordoned off to keep people safe.
She said: "The structure where the fire was is now very unstable. It has no structural integrity.
"There's a kind of a floating chimney stack that's attached to the top of the wall. So, this is an unstable, dangerous site.”
Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, which represents 8,000 businesses, said: “Restoring Glasgow Central to full operations as soon as possible must be a national priority.
“We need to see the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council throw its weight and resource behind a swift reopening and comprehensive business support package.
“There is only so long businesses can survive without a normal flow of customers.”
First Minister John Swinney told MSPs on Thursday: “The [Scottish] Government is in active discussion with Glasgow City Council, which is gathering information from the affected businesses about their circumstances.
“I am not in a position today to say definitively what financial support will be available, but I expect to be able to do so very shortly.”
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