Glasgow Central glass roof to open to public

VISITORS will be allowed onto one of the largest glass roofs in the world for the first time after Network Rail approved public access to the top of Glasgow Central station.

The roof of Glasgow Central is to be included in next month's Doors Open Days weekend. Picture: Contributed

The roof of Scotland’s busiest station is to be included in next month’s Doors Open Days weekend, when buildings normally closed to general public access are opened up for visitors.

Intrepid visitors will be taken via stairs and along walkways across the roof to the southern end of the canopy.

The roof, which dates back to 1879, contains 48,000 panes – far more than Edinburgh’s Waverley station, which has 17,000.

It is currently undergoing a six-month, £250,000 clean ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games.

The station’s basement will also be open for the 21-22 September weekend, as part of this year’s Doors Open Days railway theme.

Station manager Ross Moran said: “Glasgow Central has played a role in the lives of millions of Glaswegians in the 135 years since it first opened it doors.

“However, very few people have ever seen beyond the concourse and platforms, and we are looking forward to welcoming the public into the less-well-trodden parts of the station.

“This is a unique opportunity for people to get to know the station inside out – from the top of its roof to the bowels of its basement.”

Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, which organises the city’s Doors Open Days events, said other buildings being opened include the restored 165-year-old Pollokshaws West station, Glasgow’s oldest.

Director Anne McChlery said: “Glasgow has a proud railway history to celebrate – both its legacy of railway engineering and manufacturing, and its substantial railway network dating from the 1840s.”