Glasgow Central, Scotland’s biggest and busiest train station, has been closed after a major fire tore through a building by the station on Sunday afternoon, triggering widespread rail disruption that will last into the new week.
Britain’s National Rail said the station will remain closed today and is likely to stay shut tomorrow following the blaze at a vape shop within a four-story building in Glasgow city center. No trains will run to or from the high-level platforms, and services using the low-level line will pass through without stopping at Glasgow Central.
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Long-distance and cross-border services are heavily affected. Avanti West Coast advised that an amended timetable is operating to Preston, Carlisle and Motherwell, enabling passengers to connect for Edinburgh and for local services around the Glasgow area. TransPennine Express said there will be no services between Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Airport on Monday, and that trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle/Manchester Airport face delays and cancellations in both directions.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said crews were mobilized at 3:46 p.m. Sunday to a fire reported on the ground floor of a four-story building. As of 5 a.m. Monday, operations were still ongoing. There have been no reports of casualties, the service said, and people have been urged to avoid the area where possible.
First Minister John Swinney said he was “deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow Central Station” and thanked emergency responders in a message on X, urging the public to follow travel guidance, avoid the area and stay safe.
Paul Sweeney, a Labour MSP for Glasgow, said the Union Street building where the blaze began dates to 1851 and has 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,” he said on X, calling the incident “a massive blow to Union Street” as restoration work on the nearby Egyptian Halls is in prospect.
Businesses in the affected block said they had been devastated. In a statement on Instagram, Sexy Coffee said its shop inside the building “has sadly been destroyed.” The owner of Willow Hair Salon also confirmed on social media that the salon was lost in the fire.
The closure of Glasgow Central, a critical hub for Scotland’s rail network and for Anglo-Scottish routes, is expected to cause ripple effects across the network throughout Monday and into Tuesday. National Rail and train operators have advised passengers to check the latest service updates before traveling and to allow extra time. Road closures and cordons remain in place around Union Street to facilitate firefighting operations and structural assessments.
Further details on the condition of the building, the cause of the fire and a timeline for reopening the station were not immediately available. Authorities and operators said updates will be issued as inspections continue and services are rescheduled.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
