Port Glasgow Train Station

The ongoing transformation of Port Glasgow Train Station is quite something.

Following hot on the heels of a brand new, step-free entrance, the new bridge and lift towers are now in place.

There is still a lot more work to be done between now and the expected completion early next year, but these two key milestones really bring the whole project to life.

We now have an entrance befitting of Inverclyde’s busiest railway station with modern and welcoming frontage and, more importantly, ramped access to make it easier for people with mobility challenges, those with prams, and people using bikes.

Our rail partners are now busy finalising the installation of the new bridge and lifts that will significantly improve access to and from the station.

The new bridge will replace the current bridge, which will be decommissioned once the new one is opened, and is better positioned, linking directly to the ‘park and ride’ car park on the former Highholm Primary site.

This is another welcome boost for Port Glasgow and Inverclyde, making the area better connected and more appealing for people to live, work and visit, and making ‘greener’ travel by electric trains more accessible helping to reduce harmful carbon emissions.

Setting sail

On Friday last week we marked quite a significant departure from Inverclyde.

Cruise ship Mein Schiff, a regular visitor to these shores, was the last of nine ships to stop off in Greenock on as many days.

Thankfully the weather was much more favourable than has been the case of late and was in fact beautifully warm and sunny to show off Inverclyde and our new state-of-the-art visitor centre in all their glory to our guests from near and far.

The arrivals of these huge vessels carrying many thousands of passengers and crew is a ringing endorsement for Greenock as a cruise destination.

It’s great to see the new visitor centre doing well by handling so many ships and passengers in quick succession and playing a key role in the growth and development of tourism for these shores.

We’re also seeing more and more of our cruise ship guests remaining in the local area to discover what Inverclyde has to offer, which is most welcome.

Haste ye back!

World Breastfeeding Week 

This week is World Breastfeeding Week.

Breastfeeding rates in Inverclyde are low compared with the rest of Scotland and work is underway to try and improve uptake.

This is being led by our passionate and dedicated infant feeding team supported by midwives.

Thanks to their tireless efforts, we are seeing positive changes through initiatives such as the amazing breastfeeding mural in Greenock, parent and toddler support groups, and engagement with local businesses to increase the number of breastfeeding friendly premises.

The Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow sculpture will this week be lit turquoise as part of those ongoing efforts to promote the benefits of breastfeeding and in support of the awareness campaign.

Just last week, the statue was lit blue to mark World Drowning Prevention Day – another important awareness campaign.

While the sculptures were perhaps not originally intended for this purpose, it really is great to see them being used in such a powerful and effective way to highlight such worthwhile causes and at the same time pay tribute to our shipbuilding heritage.

Cycling for all abilities

As we look ahead to the start of the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland tomorrow, our very own Parklea Branching Out in Port Glasgow got in on the act by hosting a cycling day for people of all abilities on Monday thanks to funding from EventScotland to celebrate this huge sporting event.

Well done Parklea and good luck to everyone involved in the championships over the next 10 or so days.