Last six platforms at Glasgow High Level to reopen
The last six platforms at Glasgow Central High Level will reopen on Wednesday, said ScotRail, although some entrances will still not be in use. The whole station was closed on 8 March after a building alongside had been gutted by fire, and Glasgow Central was cordoned off for safety reasons. At first, even trains at the Low Level platforms were running through without stopping, but they were able to call again from 11 March, and high level platforms 7 to 15 reopened on 18 March.
The last 800m of overhead has been energised and tested between Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay, completing the six-year ?1 billion project to electrify the Core Valley lines, which cover 170km. Tram trains are now set to start entering service between between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay.
Train services at Glasgow Central High Level are set to be disrupted into next week, National Rail has warned, after the Union Street fire on 8 March which closed the station. Platforms 7 to 15 were able to reopen on Wednesday, allowing a number of ScotRail routes to be restored. Avanti West Coast is running one train an hour, and Caledonian Sleeper has also returned, but passengers are being warned that parts of the High Level station remain closed, very few facilities are available and several entrances remain out of use.
A fleet of diesel trains built for the Midland Main Line in England more than 20 years ago is going to Scotland, where it will replace ScotRail’s High Speed Trains. The HSTs, introduced during the 1970s by British Rail, are the last of their type in regular service in Britain, after GWR retired its four-car ‘Castle’ sets last year.
The RMT has called off strikes it was to stage from next week in its dispute with Transport for London over proposals for a four-day week on London Underground. The union says the plan would involve four longer shifts each week, and that it was concerned about fatigue, but that there has now been progress in talks with TfL.
Two restored stations in the West Midlands opened their doors today. Three more are set to open next month.
Trains are departing from Glasgow Central High Level again today, ten days after a major fire had gutted a building next to the station. The Low Level platforms were reopened to passengers a week ago, but High Level has remained closed until now while extensive safety checks were carried out. National Rail says platforms 7 to 15 at Central have reopened, but some services remain disrupted.