ScotRail has confirmed Glasgow Central station will remain fully closed on Monday morning as 15 fire engines continue to battle a major blaze on Union Street that broke out on Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters continue to tackle a major blaze in Glasgow city centre that erupted on Sunday afternoon, with train operator ScotRail announcing that Glasgow Central station will remain completely shut to passengers on Monday morning.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the incident on Union Street in Glasgow shortly before 4pm on March 8. A spokesperson for the service confirmed crews are still attending “a significant fire in a shop next to the station”.
The flames remain fierce, having apparently consumed multiple storeys of the four-storey structure where the fire originated. A fire service spokesperson disclosed that 15 appliances and specialist equipment have been deployed to tackle the emergency, including three high-reach vehicles and a water rescue team.
The scale of the inferno has left residents astonished by its sheer magnitude – ScotRail has now announced that no train services will operate to or from Glasgow Central high level on Monday.
Certain ScotRail services will travel through the station to call at Argyle Street and Anderson stations on Monday, however no services will call at the low level section of the station.
The railway station closure threatens to create absolute chaos during Monday’s rush hour, with ScotRail service delivery director Mark Ilderton warning that there will also be limited replacement transport available. “Unfortunately, we will not be able to operate train services in or out of Glasgow Central high level tomorrow following the impact of the major fire near to the station,” Mr Ilderton said.
“Our trains which operate via Glasgow Central low level will continue to run, but will not stop at the station. We are sorry to customers for the impact this will cause, and we would urge them to check their journey options before they travel, and we aware there will be very limited replacement transport.”
He continued, explaining that passengers could keep abreast of developments ” via our social media channels, and you can also visit our website, or use the ScotRail app to find out what services will be operating”.
According to the most recent official statement at 10.30pm, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed firefighters remained on site “to extinguish a large building fire on Union Street”.
The service urged those in the vicinity of Glasgow to “avoid the area if possible, and residents should keep their windows closed”.
Mercifully, no casualties have been reported, though emergency crews continue their work at the location.