Campaigner calls for rail station revamp
A council candidate has called on railway bosses to keep their promise to give a town’s historic railway station a much needed refurbishment.
Campaigner Todor Radic, who is standing as an independent in next month’s council elections, played a key role in getting ScotRail to replace Girvan station’s roof, a significant piece of work that he said was completed last year.
However, Mr Radic said he was disappointed that the promise to refurbish the interior of the B-listed building had seemingly fallen by the wayside, particularly with the key tourist season approaching.
He said: “I have to credit the work done to replace the station roof but the station has otherwise gotten worse.
“It’s a shambles and continues to give visitors to the town a terrible impression.”
The condition of the station has been the subject of much criticism in recent years. The art deco property has succumbed to peeling paint and visibly chipped walls.
Mr Radic had described the condition of the building as ‘absolutely shocking’.
Now, with ScotRail coming under public ownership, the Girvan resident hopes work can be carried out.
He said: “They have done a lot of the hard work, replacing the roof and stopping leaks. I just don’t understand why they haven’t finished the job.”
In 2019 ScotRail had promised to complete the interior decoration once the roof works were finished. But months down the line and with summer fast approaching this is still to take place.
A ScotRail spokesperson indicated that some work on the roof remained.
They said:“Making our stations a welcoming and more pleasant place to catch a train is one of our top priorities.
“Once work on the roof completes, we will look at how we can im prove the station environment.”