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Some Glasgow Central trains resume - but station remains closed after fire

News imageBBC A fire engine blocks a city street that is cordoned off with red-and-white tape. A “Road Closed” sign stands in the foreground. In the background, firefighters use an aerial platform to spray water onto a severely damaged and partially burned multi‑storey building, with debris scattered on the road.BBC
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said five vehicles and specialist unit remained on site.

Some train services at Glasgow Central Station have resumed after the weekend fire that devastated a building next door.

The station's low level platforms, which serve the Argyle line north of the River Clyde, have been reopened after a full site assessment.

But Network Rail said the main high level station would remain closed for the rest of the week due to the "high level of instability" of the fire-damaged facade.

Scotland's busiest railway station has been shut since Sunday, after a blaze spread from a vape shop on Union Street through the B-listed Victorian building.

Network Rail said it must wait for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Glasgow City Council to complete their work to determine the safety of the site.

News imageGetty Firefighters tackle a blaze from an aerial platform next to Glasgow Central Station on 8 March.Getty
The whole of the B-listed Union Corner building was engulfed by flames by Sunday evening

Network Rail route director Ross Moran said: "Further work is required to ensure the high level station is safe for trains to operate.

"Our priority is to make sure that we can reopen Glasgow Central as soon as it is safe to do so.

"We will continue to work with emergency services, the local council and our train operators to restore services."

No trains have been running to or from the high level station this week, with services passing through the lower level without stopping.

ScotRail said services would now call at Glasgow Central low level, and all three entrances to the section - one on Hope Street and two on Argyle Street - were open.

News imageBefore and after images of the building at the corner of Union Street. The top image shows the tenement on a sunny day. The bottom picture shows most of the building destroyed, with smoke and rubble.

SFRS said that three fire engines, two high-reach vehicles and a specialist unit remained at the scene on Wednesday.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Ian McMeekin said: "We understand the disruption this fire has caused, and we are grateful for the patience shown by the public as we work to bring this incident to a safe conclusion."

Glasgow Central's low level station is part of the Argyle Line, a cross-city rail link running under the city centre.

Services using it include those running from Balloch, Dalmuir, and Milngavie in the west, through to Motherwell, Larkhall, Lanark and Cumbernauld to the east

What needs to happen for Glasgow Central to fully reopen?

Low level services had not been stopping at Central since the fire, instead continuing onto Argyle Street also in the city centre.

Services from high-level platforms will remain disrupted, including:

  • Inverclyde line services to Gourock and Wemyss Bay
  • Cathcart Circle services around the south side via Mount Florida and Muirend
  • East Kilbride line
  • Kilmarnock and Ayr line, including Stranraer services
  • Lanark line
  • Long-distance services to London Euston (Avanti West Coast) and various CrossCountry destinations
  • Services to Paisley Canal

Avanti West Coast said tickets dated between 8 -13 March can be used at no extra cost on any Avanti West Coast train on the same route until Friday, with services between Glasgow and London instead running from Motherwell or Edinburgh.

News imageNetwork Rail The Union Corner building is reduced to rubble after a fire in Glasgow. Victorian buildings and street furniture surround the iron and sandstone remains. Network Rail
The Union Corner building next to the station was reduced to rubble

Glasgow Central is one of the busiest stations in the UK, with 25 million passenger visits each year.

It is the main station for all services on the west coast mainline to England and also operates services throughout central Scotland.

A fire break between the Union Corner building - which was destroyed in the blaze - and the external wall of the station is thought to have stopped Sunday's inferno spreading further.

Union Corner dates back to 1851 - pre-dating the station which opened in 1879.