THE RMT rail union is demanding an urgent investigation into risks posed by unmanned stations “following revelations that Troon station was completely unstaffed at the time of a devastating fire at the weekend”.
The railway track through Troon is due to reopen on Friday, six days after a serious fire severely damaged buildings at the Ayrshire station.
Although the track is set to reopen, no train services will stop at Troon, where engineers are continuing their work to make the structures safe.
The RMT said it had written to Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser today, calling for answers about whether the extensive damage and travel disruption “could have been avoided had Troon station been properly staffed”.
READ MORE: Troon railway station: Fire destroys historic Scots site
RMT 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 and it is long overdue that this cost-cutting, profit maximising measure of de-staffing our stations and trains by privatised train companies and the rail industry was stopped in its tracks due to glaring and serious health and safety risks.
“Today I have written to the Chief Inspector of Railways demanding he launch an urgent investigation into the Troon Station fire and the wider programme of de-staffing our stations which is only likely to accelerate due to the Government’s and privatised rail industry’s cuts agenda.”
Liam Sumpter, Network Rail route director for Scotland, has said engineers are working to make the station safe and that investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
He said: “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.
“We are working intensively to restore services as quickly as we can on both the overall line and for Troon-based passengers.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel