ScotRail announces temporary timetable changes after Union Street fire

ScotRail has announced a series of temporary timetable changes following the Union Street fire last Sunday.

The blaze began in a shop and spread through the building and around the corner, destroying the landmark Union Corner building and forced Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest railway station, to close.

The lower level of the station is running services again but the main part of the station will remain shut until at least Wednesday.

ScotRail has confirmed that from Monday, there will be adjustments to how some train services will run.

aftermath of the fire on union street STV News

Under the revised timetable, trains will run every 30 minutes between Ayr and Paisley. A half-hourly shuttle bus will also operate between Lanark and Motherwell.

Hourly services will run between Gourock and Paisley, Wemyss Bay and Paisley, Kilwinning and Largs, Kilwinning and Ardrossan Harbour, Barrhead and Kilmarnock, and Edinburgh and West Calder.

Meanwhile, the low-level platforms at Glasgow Central will continue to operate a full timetable. These services run between Cumbernauld, Whifflet, Larkhall and Motherwell through the city centre to Dalmuir, Balloch and Milngavie.

A full timetable of services at the station’s low level platforms, which serve routes from Cumbernauld, Whifflet, Larkhall, and Motherwell to Dalmuir, Balloch, and Milngavie, resumed last week and will continue to operate.

David Ross, ScotRail Chief Operating Officer, said: “We know is it is frustrating for our customers that there will be no ScotRail services running to or from Glasgow Central High Level until at least next Wednesday.

“But Glasgow City Council and Network Rail must be given time to make sure the station is safe for the return of passenger services. We will only restore services when it is safe to do so. We know this closure is causing significant disruption for our customers, and we’re sorry for the impact it is having on journeys.

“Our teams are working hard to keep people moving where possible, and we’d encourage customers to check their journey before travelling using the ScotRail app or website.”

The burnt-out site was handed over to Glasgow City Council on Thursday after emergency services finished their work.

They said it is in the interests of public safety to demolish what remains of the Victorian building, and the slow process of that work began on Friday.

On Saturday, First Minister John Swinney announced a financial package worth up to £10m to help the council, businesses and agencies “rebuild and renew” in the aftermath of the devastating blaze.

The council will administer the scheme by engaging with local businesses to understand how they have been affected.