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Thursday 16 Dec 2004

NETWORK RAIL SCOOPS AWARDS DOUBLE

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail received a double accolade for Glasgow Central Station and Moy Viaduct when they both scooped 25th Anniversary Awards at the National Railway Heritage Awards 2004.  Glasgow Central station was awarded the Principal Stations Award, while Moy Viaduct received the Engineering Structures Award.  These special honours, given to the best projects since the awards began in 1979, were specially created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the prestigious industry awards. Moy Viaduct, a Grade A-listed historic structure built in 1897, received a major programme of improvement works in 2002, which cost £2.6 million.  This involved building a new structure within the existing timber viaduct.  This is the second time this year the engineering work at Moy Viaduct has been recognised.  The Viaduct was commended in the Saltire Society Awards for Civil Engineering in the ‘conservation elements of the project’ category. The Principal Station award is presented on an annual basis and recognises high standards of structural restoration, environmental care and effective use of internal space.  Glasgow Central first won the award in 1988. As part of the 25th anniversary of the awards, judges revisited all previously nominated stations in the UK, to assess how standards had been retained and developed. After whittling all the stations down to a shortlist of three, the judges named Glasgow Central as overall winner due to the effort that has been put in to maintenance and the successful integration of modern facilities with classic architecture. Ron McAulay, Network Rail’s Route Director, Scotland, said:  “We are absolutely delighted that both our engineering excellence and high maintenance standards have been recognised at these prestigious awards.  This is testament to the expertise and dedication of Network Rail employees. “The excellent restoration of Moy viaduct and the sustained high standards at Glasgow Central Station highlight our commitment to rebuild Scotland’s railway and improve efficiency and standards for passengers.”