Fire near Glasgow Central station causes major rail disruption | Glasgow

Train passengers have faced major disruption after a fire broke out near Glasgow Central Station.

Dozens of trains were canceled following a fire at a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday evening.

National Rail said the station would be closed until further notice as crews continued to battle the blaze five hours after it started.

Trains to or from the high-level platforms at Scotland’s busiest station will not run and trains passing through the low-level platforms will not call at Glasgow Central.

Network Rail said the station would remain closed on Monday morning and National Rail expected disruption to continue until the end of the day on Monday.

First Minister John Swinney said on social media: “I am deeply concerned by the fire near Glasgow Central Station tonight and am very grateful to all the emergency services who responded.

“Please continue to follow travel instructions, avoid the area and stay safe.”

Glasgow Labor MSP Paul Sweeney said the building had partially collapsed.

In his post on social media, he said that the history of the building dates back to 1851.

Sweeney said: “Unfortunately the building has now partially collapsed. Hopefully the fire can be brought under control. The corner of the Forsyth Building, the Caledonian Chambers and the Central Hotel appear to be unaffected.”

“The pending restoration of the Corn Halls will deal a major blow to Union Street.”

In a statement at 8.30pm, a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Firefighters continue to work to extinguish a large building fire on Union Street, Glasgow.

“At its peak, 15 fire trucks and specialist resources were mobilized to the area, including three high-reach vehicles and a water rescue team.

“We first received reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four-storey commercial building at 15.46 on Sunday, March 8.

While there was no loss of life, teams continue to work at the scene.

Some ticket acceptance is available, with Avanti West Coast passengers able to use their tickets on LNER services between Edinburgh and London King’s Cross at no extra cost.

Meanwhile, operator TransPennine Express said its services between Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport would not operate on Monday and appealed to passengers not to travel as there would be no bus alternative to the rail system.