AIRDRIE-BATHGATE CONSTRUCTION WORKS BEGIN

Thursday 21 Jun 2007

AIRDRIE-BATHGATE CONSTRUCTION WORKS BEGIN

Region & Route:: National

Transport Scotland and Network Rail marked the start of advance works on the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link today with a ceremonial sod cutting event at Livingston North Station. Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change and Ron McAulay, Network Rail's Director, Scotland marked the start of work on-site with the removal of the first shovel of soil. The building work will ultimately result in a brand new GBP 300 million railway between Airdrie and Bathgate and a vital new route linking Edinburgh and Glasgow to communities in central Scotland. The first phase of works will include earth moving to allow for double tracking of the existing route between Bathgate and Edinburgh and upgrading of Livingston North and Uphall stations. It is anticipated that all work be complete and services will be running on the new railway in 2010. The new line will bring passenger benefits including an increased number of services; faster journey times; improved reliability of existing services; better access to employment, education and social opportunities and a reduction in passenger congestion. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said:
"I am delighted this work is underway. The project will open an important door of opportunity for the communities and economy in the Central Scotland corridor. "The Airdrie-Bathgate link will open up employment and education opportunities for people living west of Edinburgh and east of Glasgow and, importantly, will provide a public transport alternative to the congested M8/A8 route." Ron McAulay, Director Scotland, Network Rail said:
"We're pleased to start the building stage of this project with continued cross party backing and the full support of the new Scottish Executive. With funding from Transport Scotland and delivery by Network Rail, this line will bring enormous economic and social benefits to Scotland and transform access to public transport. "Our initial work, beginning this month, starts double-tracking the line between Edinburgh and Bathgate and preparing for big improvements at Livingston North station and Uphall Station. This is an exciting time for everyone involved and we look forward to delivering this new railway." ENDS

Notes to editors

Notes to Editors: Royal Assent was granted to the Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Act 2007 on 8 May 2007, which followed wide consultation with key stakeholders on issues relating to the project and unanimous cross-party support from the Scottish Parliament. The first phase of the project is the upgrade of the Edinburgh-Bathgate line (double-tracking) which will see commuters in West Lothian benefiting from enhanced performance on this line as early as 2008. It is anticipated that services will be running the length of the new railway in December 2010. When complete, the rail link will bring passenger benefits including four more trains per hour in each direction between Glasgow and Edinburgh; shorter travel times; improved reliability of existing services; better access to employment, education and social opportunities; and a reduction in passenger congestion. The environmental benefits include offering a public transport alternative to travelling by car via the M8, a relocated cycle-path and a reduction in congestion. Transport Scotland has committed funding for the project to a maximum of GBP 299.7 million. Work will be carried out by Edmund Nuttall Ltd and Jarvis plc. For further information on the Airdrie-Bathgate rail link proposals see: http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - National
020 3356 8700
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre