Jinxed tower to get new bearing

Published on Friday 9 May 2003 01:00

GLASGOW Science Centre has finally ordered a new bearing for the base of its jinxed tower, but officials remain silent over when the attraction is likely to reopen.

The move comes almost three months after the centre announced it had found a solution to the failure of a bearing that caused the 400ft structure to sink by half an inch.

A new spherical thrust bearing, the size of a coffee table, will be manufactured in Germany by Pan-Metallgesellschaft, the parent firm of Dyn Metal.

The Pacific Quay attraction, which has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds because of the tower’s closure, said the new bearing would be installed and tested before its reopening is announced. Officials refused to outline the likely time scale, but the process is expected to take at least another three months.

A continuing contractual dispute over liability for the faults is understood to have added further delays.

Brian Weddell, the centre’s chief executive, said: "All the parties involved are working to reopen the tower as soon as possible so that Glaswegians and visitors alike have the chance to enjoy this stunning and unique architectural icon."

Visitors to the centre increased last month by nearly 12 per cent over last April, to 36,300, with the total since it opened nearly two years ago approaching 900,000.

The latest film at the complex’s IMAX cinema, Space Station 3D, is its most successful so far, attracting 10,000 people since opening last month.