Glasgow Central Station and Union Street to fully reopen after blaze

The fire broke out on March 8 and stabilisation works have been ongoing since. The station and surrounding street will fully re-open on July 17.
Firefighters spent days at the scene in March (Robert Perry/PA)
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Lucinda Cameron
5 minutes ago

Glasgow Central Station and a street alongside it are to fully reopen on July 17 following a fire that badly damaged a building in the area in March.

Part of Union Street and some entrances to the station have been closed since then as stabilisation work was carried out.

The fire began in a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday March 8, before spreading through the building and around the corner, leading to the structure collapsing.

Only the facade of the B-listed Victorian building at the junction with Gordon Street was left standing, but it was later demolished due to safety fears.

The fire caused significant damage (Network Rail/PA)
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Glasgow City Council said that work to stabilise a gable at the site is now complete and the scaffolding has been removed.

Union Street will fully reopen to pedestrians and vehicles at 1pm on Friday July 17, once final works at the site are finished.

Network Rail Scotland said that the full station concourse will reopen on July 13 while the Union Street and Gordon Street entrances of the station will reopen on July 17.

Liam Sumpter, managing director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “The reopening of the Union Street and Gordon Street entrances is a significant milestone in Glasgow Central’s recovery and means the station will once again be fully open to passengers.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly over the past few months to prepare for this moment. Thanks to their efforts, we can now welcome passengers back through every entrance and return Scotland’s busiest station to normal operation.

“I’d also like to thank our passengers, retailers and railway colleagues for their patience and support. With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, it’s fantastic to be able to fully reopen the station and help Glasgow welcome visitors from across the world.”

Demolition work was carried out following the blaze (Andrew Milligan/PA)
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Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, welcomed the forthcoming full reopening.

He said: “Throughout the recovery, our teams worked closely with Network Rail and industry partners to minimise disruption, provide clear travel information, and safely restore services.

“We’re pleased to see the station fully reopened and thank our customers for their patience and understanding while this vital work was carried out.”

The city council has appointed architects to explore the “meanwhile use” of the Union Corner site before a permanent solution can be found.

Architectural firm O’Donnell Brown will develop plans for how the site can be used over the next four years or so.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for city centre recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: “I am pleased that the reopening of Union Street can now be confirmed, following the extensive work undertaken to clear the site after the fire earlier this year.

“This is a key stage in the recovery of the area around Central Station and will allow people and vehicles to move far more smoothly through this part of the city centre.

“I would like to thank everyone affected by the fire and its aftermath for their patience, and pass on my gratitude to the council staff, our contractors and partners for the huge amount of work they have done to get us to this stage.”