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Next year will see Queen Street Station in the city of Glasgow, Scotland get a major upgrade. According to new details that have recently been published by Network Rail, which is responsible for most railway infrastructure throughout the UK, proposed changes to the station will carry a total price tag of £104 million.
Queen Street Station is the third busiest railway station in Scotland. Every year, around twenty million passengers board flow through the station, and by 2030 this number is expected to grow to 28 million. In order to accommodate the growth in passenger numbers that has been forecast, and to accommodate the longer trains that this will necessitate on certain major routes, Network Rail has formed plans to redesign and expand the station.
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The project has now entered the second round of public consultations. The launch of this phase has included the publication of fresh details and updated design proposals for the look of the final, renovated station. These changes take into account the results of the first public consultation stage and the alterations that these prompted to the original plans.
Changes made as a result of initial public consultations include:
- Moving the main access ramp inside the station rather than outside
- Removal of an East-West footbridge that was previously planned to run through the middle of the station at mezzanine level
- Widening of stairs at the exit leading to George Square
- Redesign of the façade and roof
The results of this first stage of public consultation, which took place earlier this year between February and May, have been published in detail on the project’s website.
The second public consultation stage of the project began on the Thursday 2nd October, and will continue until Monday 22nd December. The consultation forms part of an application from Network Rail for a Transport and Works Scotland (TAWS) Order. This order would give them the permissions they need to go ahead with the project. Their application will be put before ministers in June of next year.
Keith Brown, Transport Minister for Scotland, has welcomed the planned redevelopment. Brown said: “Queen Street is one of Scotland’s most important stations. This consultation is informing plans which will transform the station into a 21st century transport hub.
“It will be an inviting and enjoyable place for people to begin or end their journey on some of Scotland’s busiest rail routes.” Brown also praised the redevelopment plans as a way to “[improve] journeys and facilities for passengers.”
Construction work on the project is expected to begin next year, and is set to be handled by Morgan Sindall, Balfour Beatty and Costain. The work is scheduled to be completed at some time in 2019.
Matthew Scott