Glasgow Central Station closed after huge blaze as travel disruption to continue

Key Points

No trains to run through Glasgow Central Station on Monday
Around 60 firefighters called to Union Street at 3.46pm on Sunday
Crews remain at scene as of 6.30am on Monday
Willow Hair Salon and Sexy Coffee among businesses ‘destroyed’
Voco Grand Central Hotel evacuated
No reported casualties

Glasgow Central will remain closed with “no estimate on when the station will reopen” following a huge blaze at a vape shop in Union Street.

Around 60 firefighters were called to Union Street at around 3.46pm on Sunday.

The fire is understood to have taken hold in the ground floor of a commercial building, which has now collapsed.

Video footage shows since spread to the building on the corner of Gordon Street.

The station will remain closed on Monday morning with services suspended. National Rail said the station will be closed until further notice as crews continued to tackle the fire five hours after it began.

No trains will run to or from the high-level platforms at Scotland’s busiest station, while trains that run through the low-level platforms will not call at Glasgow Central.

A spokesperson said: “Glasgow Central Station has been closed until further notice, and will not reopen on Monday morning, following a fire at a vape shop on Union Street this afternoon.

“Emergency services, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, are on site and managing the incident. As a precaution, all services through Glasgow Central have been suspended and passengers are advised to seek alternative travel arrangements.

“We will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.”

Avanti West Coast advised passengers 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”.

Crews remain at the scene as of 6.30am on Monday. STV News

ScotRail warned of substantial disruption to its services and urged passengers to check for the latest information before travelling.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “Unfortunately, we will not be able to operate train services in or out of Glasgow Central high level tomorrow following the impact of the major fire near to the station. Our trains which operate via Glasgow Central low level will continue to run, but will not stop at the station.

“We are sorry to customers for the impact this will cause, and we would urge them to check their journey options before they travel, and we aware there will be very limited replacement transport.

“We will keep customers updated via our social media channels, and you can also visit our website, or use the ScotRail app to find out what services will be operating.”

Credit: Garry F McHarg Garry F McHarg | Focal Scotland

TransPennine Express said its services would not run between Glasgow Central and Liverpool Lime Street or Manchester Airport on Monday, while trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle/Manchester Airport will be subject to delays and cancellations in both directions.

As of 6.30am, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said crews were still battling the fire, with people urged to avoid the area where possible.

A spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.46pm on Sunday, 8 March, to reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four storey commercial building on Union Street, Glasgow.

“At its height, 18 appliances and specialist resources were mobilised. The incident has since been scaled back and nine appliances, including three high-reach vehicles, remain in attendance.

“There are no reported casualties.”

On Sunday night, First Minister John Swinney said in a post on X: “I am deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow Central Station tonight and very grateful to all of the emergency services who are responding.

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

Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP for Glasgow, said the building – which housed the vape shop where the fire started – had partially collapsed.

In a post on X, he said the building dates back to 1851.

“Sadly the building has now 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,” Mr Sweeney said.

“It’s a massive blow to Union Street with the restoration of the Egyptian Halls in prospect.”

In a statement on Instagram, a shop called Sexy Coffee said its business located inside the building had been destroyed.

“We are absolutely devastated to confirm that the shop has sadly been destroyed in the fire,” the statement said.

“It is heartbreaking for us and our team, especially after the support and loyalty we have received from so many of you over the years.

“However, we want to reassure everyone that this is not the end. We will rebuild, revamp the shop, and reopen as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, our Argyle Street branch remains open, and we would love to welcome you there.

“Thank you to all of our amazing customers for your continued support. It truly means everything to us.

“We will be back.”

The owner of Willow Hair Salon confirmed on social media that her business had also been destroyed, and the Voco Grand Central Hotel was also evacuated.

Tangible hair salon, which is based at Union Street, confirmed they were one of the businesses affected.

“A fire took our building today”, they wrote on Instagram. “As far as I’m aware it’s still burning. All of our businesses are lost. We stood in the street and held each other as we cried and watched everything we’d built destroyed.

“As far as we know everyone is safe, everyone is just in shock and devastated.”