Troon station fire: Call for safety probe over unstaffed stations
- Published
The line through the station will reopen on Friday, although no services will stop
A rail union is demanding an "urgent investigation" into the safety risks of unstaffed stations after the fire at Troon Station in South Ayrshire.
The RMT union said the station was "completely unstaffed" at the time of the blaze.
The station building was extensively damaged by a fire on Saturday, closing the line for several days.
The track through the station is due to reopen on Friday.
However, no train services will stop at Troon as engineers continue their work to make the structures safe.
RMT said it had written to chief inspector of railways Ian Prosser about whether the damage and disruption "could have been avoided had Troon station been properly staffed".
General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The devastating fire at Troon station shines a light on just how dangerous the rail industry's plans to de-staff our stations are.
"Station staff play a vital role in helping deliver a safe, secure and accessible railway.
"It is long overdue that this cost-cutting, profit maximising measure of de-staffing our stations and trains was stopped in its tracks due to glaring and serious health and safety risks."
Troon station, designed by James Miller, opened in 1892
Liam Sumpter, Network Rail route director for Scotland, said engineers were working to make the station safe and that investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing.
He said: "The damage was extensive and we must make sure we have carried out all necessary safety checks, and made vital repairs, before we can run trains through this section of track.
"We are working intensively to restore services as quickly as we can on both the overall line and for Troon-based passengers."
ScotRail said services between Glasgow Central and Ayr would resume on Friday, and services between Ayr and Stranraer would run normally from mid-morning.
However a spokesman said there would be some cancellations and asked people to check their journey before they travel.
A shuttle bus will serve Troon between Irvine/Kilmarnock and Prestwick on Friday and Saturday.
A nearby hairdressers and cafe were also gutted by the blaze. Several hundred journeys were affected. There were no reported injuries.
Troon station opened in 1892, designed by architect James Miller, whose work includes other west coast stations as well as Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
The Railway Heritage Trust has offered £500,000 to help salvage the Victorian structure.