Glasgow Central: Days of disruption as station closed after fire in neighbouring building

A significant fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in a vape shop located in a B-listed Victorian building adjacent to Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s busiest rail hub. The blaze rapidly spread through the historic structure, known as Union Corner, situated at the intersection of Union Street and Gordon Street. The incident began around 15:45, prompting an immediate response from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), which deployed six crews initially and eventually increased to 18 vehicles to combat the flames into the night. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

Network Rail confirmed that despite the extensive fire affecting the neighboring building, Glasgow Central Station itself avoided major damage. Nonetheless, the station was set to remain closed on Tuesday to allow for safety inspections, with disruption expected to persist for several days. ScotRail announced a complete suspension of services in and out of the station throughout Tuesday, redirecting trains to nearby Argyle Street and Anderston stations. Replacement buses were limited and passengers were advised to check service updates via ScotRail’s website and app. David Ross, ScotRail’s chief operating officer, emphasized the need for patience, noting, “We are doing the best we can in very difficult circumstances.”

Emergency services remained on site as the fire was brought under control by early Monday morning. Firefighters continued to cool hotspots and worked alongside structural engineers to assess the stability of the damaged building. Assistant Chief Officer David Farries indicated that a thorough multi-agency investigation was underway to determine the cause and understand how the fire spread, stating, “We need to do a full investigation with our multi-agency partners to understand the nature of the fire and understand why the fire spread the way that it did.”

Local authorities have responded to the incident with road closures around Union Street and Central Station, including Renfield Street at West George Street and parts of St Vincent Street and Broomielaw, to manage safety and traffic flow. Scotland’s First Minister acknowledged the severity of the fire and the associated costs, expressing relief that no one was hurt. Support will be provided to Glasgow City Council to aid the city in its recovery efforts. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken commended the fire crews for their difficult and vital work in preventing the fire from spreading into the station, observing the complexity of tackling fires in historic buildings and noting, “The city owes them a debt of thanks. It could have been so much worse.” Meanwhile, the rail union TSSA highlighted the importance of safety in railway infrastructure, with general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust calling for comprehensive investigations to prevent future incidents and lamenting the loss of such a landmark building

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