£500,000 pledge to kickstart Troon station restoration bid after fire
The Railway Heritage Trust says the building is of historic importance.
Last updated 19th Jul 2021
Half a million pounds is being pledged to help rebuild Troon station after the devastating fire on Saturday afternoon which destroyed most of Victorian building on platform 1.
The Railway Heritage Trust says it wants to help restore the building, which is nearly 130-years-old, if it is possible to do so.
Exeuctive Director, Andy Savage told Clyde 1 News: "We feel that by stepping up early it gives a much better chance of the building surviving, and obviously Network Rail Scotland are aware we have made this offer.
"It's too early to say if it can be saved. It depends on how the metal structures have survived the fire. What I do want to make sure is that our committment to restoration is public now if that becomes a possibility."
No train service to Ayr
Network Rail have closed the line until the structural integrity of the building has been assessed.
Nobody was injured in the fire and although the exact cause of the blaze is unknown, police have confirmed it was not started deliberately.
Services from Glasgow are terminating at Kilwinning and there is no replacement transport onwards to Ayr
A unique Victorian station
The station at Troon opened in 1892, replacing an earlier station on the Glasgow and South Western line, and was designed by James Miller, was was also the architect responsible for Glasgow Central and Weymss Bay stations.
The offer of half a million pounds over two years represents 10% of the Railway Heritage Trust's annual budget for projects across the UK network, but Andy Savage says Troon is of special architectural importance.
"I think Scotland is lucky to have a lot of buildings by James Miller. They're in a variety of styles and this one is pretty unique.
"We'd love to see the whole collection kept but we'd certainly like to keep this one with its double platform construction and the structures over the track."
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