11.08.15
Stirling station upgrades set to start next week
Work is set to begin on a 14-month Network Rail £3m investment project at Stirling station to upgrade its glass roof and install safe access for future maintenance on the listed building.
Existing glass panels in the Scotland station are prone to cracking and discolouration and will be replaced with a light-weight polycarbonate glazing system that is both corrosion resistant and self-cleaning.
Upgrades will also include installing a new access to the roof to avoid further deterioration of the historic structure due to corrosion, damp, and vegetation growth.
It will be similar to the system used at the new Haymarket station in Edinburgh.
Bruce Crawford, MSP for Stirling, welcomed the investment and said: “As well as looking forward to improved services and faster journey times on routes to Glasgow and Edinburgh being enabled by electrification, it is important that there is also work being done to improve the stations.”
The structures of the listed building will be safeguarded through enhanced guttering and drainage so as to protect the retained timbers and metal work from weathering.
Phil Vester, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “Stations are at the heart of communities as well as being an important part of the overall experience of travelling on our railway. Their appearance and condition should reflect this important role.
“Investing in Stirling station will protect and preserve the building’s unique appearance and character while at the same time delivering a safer, brighter, more comfortable station environment which will protect our customers from the vagaries of Scotland’s weather.
“As well as enhancing the aesthetics, on a practical level this investment will make it easier for us to clean and maintain the station in the future and ensure that it remains a welcoming space for our customers when joining the rail network.”
Works to install the 2,400sqm polycarbonate glazed roof will begin on 17 August and should finish by November 2016.
The project will be delivered in phases to minimise the operational impact and there will be no train service disruptions during this work.