Glasgow Central station is set to remain closed throughout Tuesday, with significant disruption anticipated for several days, following a devastating fire at an adjacent building.
All rail services to and from Scotland’s busiest station have been suspended since Monday.
The blaze originated in a vape shop on Union Street, before rapidly spreading through the building and around the corner onto Gordon Street, where only the facade now remains.
Four fire engines and two high-reach appliances were still at the scene at 6.30am on Tuesday. Network Rail has confirmed the station’s continued closure, as safety inspections are expected to take place.
While Central Station itself is thought to have escaped any major damage, the impact of the firefighting efforts and the intense heat is likely to require assessment.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said on Monday: “While the fire is now under control, emergency services are still on site and we continue to support their response.
“The station will remain closed today and tomorrow.
“Timescales for reopening will only be confirmed once we are able to safely gain access and carry out the necessary checks.
“All services to and from Glasgow Central are currently suspended, and passengers should continue to follow alternative travel arrangements as advised by their train operators.”
ScotRail said disruption is likely to continue for several days.
David Ross, ScotRail chief operating officer, said: “We’d like to thank our colleagues in the fire and emergency services who worked incredibly hard to tackle the blaze and prevent it from spreading to the station itself.
“We know this closure will cause significant disruption for our customers, and we’re very sorry for the impact this will have on their journeys.”
Meanwhile, more than £80,000 has been raised to support a number of businesses which were destroyed in the blaze.
The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe said the sum had been raised for six firms, which lost their premises in the blaze.
They included a hairdressing salon run by Joe Diaz, who fled the building when the fire began on Sunday.
He told the Press Association how he and his partner encountered “really heavy, dark smoke” as they fled the scene.
Mr Diaz said: “We just got our client and said, let’s just run and get out of here as soon as we can.”
A passerby, Lamin Kongira, tried to extinguish the blaze in a vape shop on Sunday, but was forced back by an “explosion” from within the premises.
He described hearing another more powerful blast shortly afterwards.
Avanti West Coast advised passengers that an amended train service will run to Preston, Carlisle and Motherwell, “enabling customers to connect with trains to Edinburgh and local services to the Glasgow area”.
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