Network Rail engineers will begin work this month on a £9m project to create a fully-glazed roof covering all of the platforms and track at Paisley Gilmour Street station.

The new 4,740sqm roof will be installed in sections over the next nine months without disruption to train services and with minimal disruption to the operation of the B-listed station.

As part of the project, which is being carried out by C Spencer Ltd, the current platform canopies will be removed, the existing steelwork repaired and repainted and its foundations strengthened.

The scheme, which will be completed by Christmas 2011, will also involve the alteration of overhead power lines within the station and buildings on the platforms will also be repainted.

The roof will be installed in three sections with the initial phase of the works taking place above the east end of the station. In order to allow engineers to work safely while the station is open, decks will be installed between the roof and the platforms below.

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The work at Gilmour Street will take place alongside the £170m Paisley Corridor Improvements (PCI) project which will upgrade the track and signalling on the busy rail corridor between Shields junction in Glasgow and Paisley Gilmour Street station.

Once complete, PCI will improve capacity on the route and allow for increased levels of service between Glasgow and Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. The PCI works are being funded by Transport Scotland and Network Rail and previous phases of the project have already delivered two new platforms at Glasgow Central station and a new freight loop at Elderslie.

Ron McAulay, Director Scotland for Network Rail, said: “With more than three million passengers a year, Paisley Gilmour Street is one of the busiest stations in Scotland. This project will help to ensure the station continues to be able to play an important role in the local economy, providing an improved facility for passengers.

“This station enhancement, combined with the ongoing Paisley Corridor Improvements project, demonstrates the rail industry’s commitment to providing the best possible services and facilities to the travelling public.”

Derek Barr, Project manager for Spencer, added: "We are extremely pleased to deliver a solution for the new roof which will allow people to go about their daily commute as we build the roof above them.

"I am sure that when the work is finished, the new look station will make a real impression on people visiting the area."

(GK)