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Railway set to reopen through Troon tomorrow

Updated 08.24

TRAINS are expected to start running through fire-damaged Troon station in Ayrshire tomorrow, but Network Rail said the station would remain closed to passengers for the time being.

The building on platform one was badly damaged by a blaze on Saturday which took several hours to bring under control. No one was hurt.

The fire started in the ticket office but then spread to the roof, and engineers have been working on making the structures safe, including the OHLE over the tracks. Special props have been designed and installed to support the beams which carry the overhead lines, and new overhead power cables have also been installed.

Similar supports are being installed on the opposite platform today.

Network Rail route director for Scotland Liam Sumpter said: ‘Our engineers have delivered a rapid response in very challenging circumstances to safely repair and reopen the line through Troon. Our priority now is to get trains back on the move for our passengers and freight customers as quickly as we possibly can.

‘The damage caused by Saturday’s fire 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.’

ScotRail operations director David Simpson described the fire as ‘terrible’, causing ‘dreadful damage’. He added: ‘While our Network Rail colleagues have been working hard to make the building, platform canopies, overhead power cables and other infrastructure safe, we have been producing a plan that aims to have train services running normally again as quickly as possible.’

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and an investigation is continuing. Police have said the incident is not being treated as suspicious.

Meanwhile, the RMT is demanding an ‘urgent investigation’ from the Office of Rail and Road into the ‘risks posed by unstaffed stations’ following its discovery that Troon was unstaffed at the time of the fire.

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