Glasgow Central station's high-level concourse will remain closed for the rest of the week following a devastating fire that gutted a neighbouring building on Sunday night. Network Rail confirmed that the instability of the mid-Victorian block on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street, much of which collapsed during the blaze, makes it unsafe to reopen the upper level, which serves trains to destinations across the UK.
The low-level part of the station, used for local services, is set to reopen on Wednesday. No casualties were reported, but only the facade of the Gordon Street building remains, with the interior—including shops, offices, and retail space—completely destroyed.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised over £160,000 to support affected business owners, many of whom lost their entire stock and tools. Network Rail route director Ross Moran said: 'Our priority is to make sure that we can reopen Glasgow Central as soon as it is safe to do so. 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.'
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reported that as of 4.30pm on Tuesday, four fire appliances and one high-reach vehicle remained at the scene. Investigations by the Ferret news site revealed that the vape shop on Union Street, where the fire is believed to have started, had not paid business rates and does not appear to be registered to sell tobacco or vaping products.
Colin Borland, Scotland director of the Federation of Small Businesses, urged the Scottish government to replicate the support package provided after the 2018 Glasgow School of Art fire, which included a £5m recovery fund and three months' business rates relief for affected businesses. He warned that the economic impact of closing Scotland's busiest station for several days could be significant.
