Network Rail said Glasgow Central Station will remain closed on Monday
Major rail disruption is expected to hit large parts of the northern UK and Manchester and continue into this week after a fire ravaged an area near Glasgow train station on Sunday (March 8).
Train passengers faced disruption after the fire broke out near to Glasgow Central, forcing the station to close throughout Sunday afternoon. Dozens of trains were cancelled following the blaze at a building in Union Street.
Network Rail said the station will remain closed on Monday morning (March 9) , with National Rail expecting disruption to continue on routes to, from and through the station until end of the day on Monday.
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TransPennine Express confirmed this caused lines to be blocked between Glasgow Central and Preston, with services cancelled or expected to be severely delayed to Manchester Airport.
The rail provider said that TPE services would not operate throughout Monday in both directions on the Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street routes. Services between Edinburgh and Manchester Airport would be subject to cancellations or severe delays throughout the day.
“As a result, we are advising you not to travel. There are no trains or rail replacement buses running between locations,” a statement read. Customers are also being advised to check before they travel on Tuesday too (March 10) on those same routes.
Other national services affected include the Caledonian Sleeper between Glasgow Central and London Euston, Avanti West Coast routes between Glasgow Central and Crewe / Birmingham New Street / London Euston, CrossCountry routes between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh / Glasgow Central and ScotRail routes to and from Glasgow Central.
Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP for Glasgow, said the building – which housed the vape shop where the fire started – had partially collapsed. In a post on X, he said the building dates back to 1851.
“Sadly the building has now partially collapsed. I hope the fire can be contained. The corner of the Forsyth Building, as well as the Caledonian Chambers and Central Hotel seem unaffected,” Mr Sweeney said. “It’s a massive blow to Union Street with the restoration of the Egyptian Halls in prospect.”
In a statement at 7.45pm, a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “More than 60 firefighters are currently working to tackle a large building fire on Union Street, Glasgow. We were alerted at 3.46pm on Sunday, 8 March, to reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four-storey commercial building.
“At its height, 12 fire appliances and three high-reach vehicle were mobilised to the area, where firefighters are currently working to extinguish the fire. There are no reported casualties, and crews remain at the scene.”
And ScotRail said in a statement: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue service is still dealing with a fire in a building in Union Street next to Glasgow Central. Unfortunately this means the station will remain closed tomorrow morning, meaning no services in or out of Central.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience we know this will cause our customers and we will provide updates as soon as possible.”