Network Rail has restored the Grade B-listed roof of platform 2 at Lanark station in Scotland which had seriously deteriorated and had become a danger to both railway staff and the travelling public.

Helped by a significant investment from Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust, work took place last year to carefully refurbish the roof and canopy over the building on platform 2.

Work was completed at the end of the year, with the Railway Heritage Trust contributing £75k of grant funding towards the project’s total cost of £310k.

The refurbishment had become urgent, as both the roof and canopy were in poor condition.

Rotted timbers presented a risk that the Georgian wired glazing panels could slip out of their frames and cause injury.

During the refurbishment, engineers repaired significant amounts of rotted wood, installed new slate coverings and lead flashings, and replaced the glass with a modern proprietary ‘twinfix’ polycarbonate glazing system.

Now that the work has been completed, the building is wind and watertight, and the expectation is that the repairs will extend the lifespan of the roof and canopy for up to another 25 years.

The roof refurbishment is the latest in several improvements to the station, some of which were paid for by ScotRail’s Stations Community Regeneration Fund.

In 2021, a Hedgehog Highway was provided by Network Rail Scotland to provide hedgehog-friendly access routes that allow the prickly creatures to roam freely around the railway land and an escape route if needed.

We are delighted with the end result following the completion of works by our framework contractor CPMS, and sub-contractors Kerr Roofing and Eradakil Joinery and Preservation.

We are grateful to the Railway Heritage Trust for their grant funding, which has contributed toward this project becoming a reality.

This completes our planned works at Lanark station which delivered the external restoration of the main platform 1 building, reinstatement of railings and renewal of the station access stairs.

Valerie McMillan, Network Rail senior asset engineer

We are pleased to support Network Rail’s restoration of the Platform 2 building at Lanark. The first station was opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1855, so it is an important part of the heritage of the town.

Tim Hedley-Jones, executive director of The Railway Heritage Trust