Queen Street station transformation revealed

THE transformation of Glasgow Queen Street station is being revealed as engineers begin work on the steel skeleton of the new concourse.

On of the first major parts of the station’s new exterior has now been installed, as the west truss, which will support the new and improved entrance on Dundas Street, put in place.

This is the first step in a more than six-month process in the station’s development, with the full installation of the steel outer shell to continue until summer 2019.

Joe Mulvenna, Network Rail project manager, said: “The west truss is the first completed section of structural steelwork to be installed as part of Glasgow Queen Street’s redevelopment and will form the skeleton of an iconic station for the city.

“Undertaking an installation of this complexity in the heart of Glasgow city centre follows months of logistical planning and we are pleased that we have been able to carry out this activity without additional disruption to road or station access during this busy Christmas period.

“Installation of the steel framework makes progress on Glasgow Queen Street’s transformation far more visible to customers and passers-by.

“It’s now possible to envisage the scale of improvements ahead, including extended platforms for longer trains and the creation of the new, spacious concourse looking out on to George Square.”

Spanning 74 meters in length and weighing 70-tonnes, the truss was installed in three stages in the early hours of Sunday.

A 750-tonne crane was used to lift and lower each section into position, with the steelwork completed locally in North Ayrshire. The sections were then secured to steel columns using 2300 bolts, with main contractor Balfour Beatty carrying out the structural work.

The redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street is part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) – a Scottish Government investment in the railway infrastructure to upgrade and electrify the network between the two cities.

Barry Nicol, senior project manager at Balfour Beatty, said: “Carrying out this level of construction activity within a city centre and railway environment is uniquely challenging. The installation of the west truss is a significant project milestone and the first phase of steelwork that will create Glasgow Queen Street’s new station structure.”

Work to transform the station is set to be complete in spring 2020.