Media centre

Thursday 3 Feb 2005

BORRODALE TUNNEL LINED UP FOR £½ MILLION INVESTMENT

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is to invest more than £500k in Borrodale Tunnel on the West Highland Line between Mallaig and Fort William.  The work will involve closure of the line, over a five-day period, between 11 and 17 February 2005. The programme of work will involve carrying out repairs to approximately 30m of the tunnel lining. Ron McAulay, Route Director Scotland at Network Rail said:  “This work is part of our ongoing maintenance programme and investment in the railway in Scotland.  It also shows our commitment to improving the infrastructure across the whole of the country, and not just in the most densely inhabited areas. “We invest around £60 million annually in Scotland in civil engineering work, which includes the maintenance of structures such as tunnels, bridges and viaducts.  In addition, we are spending approximately £88 million on maintaining the infrastructure in Scotland this year.” Network Rail invested £6 million on the West Highland Line at the end of last year constructing a new bridge at Ardlui and extensive refurbishment to three bridges: Gairlochead Viaduct, Crianlarich Viaduct and Auchtertyre Viaduct. ______________________________ Page 1 of 2 Borrodale Tunnel Lined Up for £½ million Investment The work at Borrodale Tunnel is being done at a quiet time of year to ensure there is no impact on the tourist season. The Hogwarts Express, a steam engine used in the Harry Potter films, runs throughout the tourist season between Fort William and Mallaig.