Glasgow Central high level closed for rest of week after building fire

Glasgow Central Station’s high level will remain closed for the rest of the week, after a fire devastated a neighbouring building.

Network Rail said it will not be possible to reopen the high level part of the station because of the instability of the Union Corner site’s facade, much of which which collapsed during the blaze.

However, the low level part of Glasgow Central will open on Wednesday.

The rail infrastructure organisation said it recognised the inconvenience for passengers but it had to wait until building assessment work was completed.

Only the facade of the Gordon Street part of the building was left standing after the fire gutted the structure.

Network Rail said the instability of this facade, along with the need for assessments, means the high level trains will not be able to run this week.

Route director Ross Moran said: “We are grateful to Scottish Fire and Rescue teams who have been working tirelessly to contain the fire on the Union Corner site.

“I am pleased to advise passengers that we will be able to open Glasgow Central low level station from tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

“Unfortunately, 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 and we will continue to work with emergency services, the local council and our train operators to restore services.

“We want to reassure passengers that we are doing everything we can to open the high level station, but we must enable the emergency services and Glasgow City Council to complete their critical work to secure the Union Corner site and make it safe.”

Network Rail shared photos and video footage showing the interior of Central Station, including the large wooden structure on the concourse which was near the building which caught fire. It remained intact.

ScotRail encouraged passengers to check their journeys.

David Ross, ScotRail’s chief operating officer, said: “We know this closure is causing significant disruption for our customers, and we’re very sorry for the impact it is having on journeys.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that as of 4.30pm on Tuesday, four fire appliances and one high reach vehicle remain at the scene.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Ian McMeekin said: “This incident has required significant levels of resource, and we will continue to remain on scene as we move into a recovery phase alongside our multi-agency partners.

“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, before the site is handed over to partner agencies.”

The fire began in a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday, before the flames spread through the building and around the corner onto Gordon Street.

No trains have been running to or from Central Station’s high level on Monday or Tuesday, with trains passing through the lower level without stopping.

Earlier, First Minister John Swinney paid tribute to firefighters and other emergency services who attended the scene.

He said the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had “scaled back” its response by Tuesday morning to four appliances and two high reach vehicles, but stressed it “remains a live incident”.

Mr Swinney committed to support the rebuild of the area, telling MSPs in Holyrood: “Above all else, let me be clear today: the Scottish Government will stand with the city of Glasgow as it recovers from the fire.

“Given the significant cost the city faces, we will back those costs with cash.

“To get that work started, a ministerial oversight board has been established, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice.

“We will rebuild, we will restore, and Glasgow will flourish again.”

Speaking to the Press Association on Tuesday, Mr Swinney said: “It’s still a very live site, that is still under not just investigation, but under stabilisation adjacent to Glasgow Central.

“There’s a building adjacent to the Gordon Street entrance which is extremely vulnerable, so the reassurance I would give is that will be undertaken as quickly as we possibly can do, but I can’t give a definitive timescale on that.”

Just a few hundred yards from the site of Sunday’s fire sits the Mackintosh building on Sauchiehall Street, which has been hit by two major fires in just over a decade, the latter also ripping through the nearby O2 ABC.

Asked if it will take as long on Union Street as it has for Sauchiehall Street to redevelop the site, the First Minister said it was “not all within my gift”, adding his ministers would “work constructively” with the council.

“It will be in everyone’s interest to move as quickly as possible to do so,” he said.

Asked about the need for greater regulation of vape shops, Mr Swinney stressed there will be a “full investigation” into the cause of the blaze, though he said footage from the weekend “appears to show the fire started within a vape shop”.

He added: “It’s important we allow the investigation to be carried out to establish the facts about this issue and identify the lessons that have got to be learned.

“I do also understand the public concern about the issue of the safety of vape shops.

“I am open to the need for further regulation and legislation to ensure the safety of people and buildings, especially when it comes to the storage and disposal of combustible products.”