Glasgow Queen Street station has had a visit from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon following the completion of the £120m improvement programme.

The First Minister helped out with the unveiling of two plaques during the official opening celebrations.

The first plaque unveiled was a replica of the 1881 station plate, which celebrated the original completion of the station’s Victorian barrelled roof, the second plaque to celebrate the conclusion of the huge £120m Scottish Government-funded transformation project.

Over the last four years, a team formed of members from Transport Scotland, Network Rail, ScotRail and the main contractor Balfour Beatty have worked together on the redevelopment of Scotland’s third busiest station.

Glasgow Queen Street station has now been extended and houses a bigger concourse with space for double the circulation of passengers than it had previously. 

The station now has fully accessible lifts into the new building from Queen Street and provides step-free access from Dundas Street and North Hanover Street.

Improvements for customer facilities have also been a priority and include a new travel centre, toilets and Changing Places facility.

The project started in 2017 with engineers demolishing the 1970’s buildings that were positioned in front of the Victorian station and made way for the new extended concourse. 

Throughout the course of a year, over 14,000 tonnes of material has been removed from the site using mini diggers to demolish the building carefully from top to bottom. Approximately 94% of the material from demolition has been recycled, with some returning to the station and used in the foundations of the new concourse.

December 2018 saw the extended station’s steel frame erected and Queen street starting to take its distinctive contemporary new shape. By September 2019, the final glass panel on the station frontage was put in place. It was one of 310 glass panels used in the construction.

The station’s interior also changed dramatically with the old travel centre and staff accommodation block on Dundas Street making way for the lengthened platform 1. Platforms 2, 3, 4 and 5 have also been extended by a huge 26m with all platforms now electrified to allow ScotRail’s new, longer Class-385 electric trains to operate.

The entire improvement programme has seen a welcome boost to the local economy with 70% of the budget spent using suppliers situated within 40 miles of the station.

The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “With just a month until world leaders arrive in Glasgow to address the growing climate crisis, Scotland’s Railway is on well on track in its journey towards full decarbonisation of passenger services.

“This new Glasgow Queen Street, delivered as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, is a shining example of how we can modernise historic and iconic stations, offering greener transport hubs that are more attractive to commuter, business and leisure markets alike.

“This station led the city through industrialisation and it now stands out as an example of what we can achieve as we navigate our way towards net-zero.

“Since 2007, we have invested over £9 billion in rail infrastructure, including electrification to enable greener trains to run on those routes. We are committed to continued electrification, and the use of alternative traction technology, if we are to address the challenges facing this planet. Scotland, as a responsible global citizen, will do everything we can to play our part.”

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “As Scotland continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and as Glasgow prepares to host COP26, we are incredibly proud of this new station and the modern, green railway it symbolises.

“The extended and electrified platforms at Glasgow Queen Street and the faster, longer, greener trains they support will make sure our railway is ready to play a role in combatting the challenge of climate change and its impact on how we live and work in the future.

“Our engineers, contractors and station teams have worked tirelessly to create an iconic new station for Glasgow and should be commended for completing such a complex job without having to close Queen Street to its passengers.”

Hector MacAulay MBE, managing director of Balfour Beatty, said: “We are delighted to have been partnered with Network Rail for this award-winning transformational project, which has seen the original Queen Street Station brought back to life and now offers an enhanced passenger experience. I am delighted to say that during the four-year construction period there were no delays in operations or performance within the station.”

Bruce Kennedy, architect director BDP’s Glasgow studio, said: “BDP was privileged to lead the design for the redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street Station, which has transformed the passenger experience. Enabling fantastic views of Glasgow city centre and celebrating James Carswell’s train shed, the station is now a fitting gateway to Glasgow and the rail network.

“Transport Scotland’s investment has allowed us to make a contemporary addition to the country’s rich cultural heritage of rail architecture, which is a highly visible sign of the continuing investment in the decarbonisation of Scotland’s Railway.”

Gerry Bradley, partner IDP Architects, said: “IDP Architects feels privileged to have held a key role in the delivery of such an iconic building, at the heart of the city centre. Network Rail’s bold vision for the station has now been realised, leaving Glasgow Queen Street as a modern terminus station that we should all to be proud of.”

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