Friday 22 Jun 2018
Breich Station closure is platform for £2.4m redevelopment
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
Breich station will close for 12 weeks from Saturday 23 June as part of the work to electrify the Shotts line between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central.
The West Lothian station will undergo a £2.4m redevelopment to ensure that the platform lengths and heights are compliant with the electrified railway environment and suitable for the new longer electric trains that will be introduced on the route.
As well as work to the platforms, the redevelopment will see the creation of a new ramped footpath to the Edinburgh bound platform on the north side of the station with the embankments and access ramp on the south side being re-profiled to make it easier for customers to get in and out of the station.
Improvements to lighting and CCTV and enhancements to customer information systems, ticket machines, validators and waiting shelters will also be delivered at the station with work set to complete by the end of October.
The station redevelopment is part of a £160m Scottish government-funded investment to upgrade and electrify the line to improve reliability and enable the introduction of electric trains on the route by March 2019.
Brian Mallon, Network Rail programme manager for the Shotts Line Electrification project, said: “We know that closings stations is never a popular choice for passengers but in this case, it is the most efficient way to deliver the work while trains continue to operate on the line and carry passengers to and from the nearby stations.
“Redeveloping Breich station is part of a wider programme of station upgrades on the route being delivered during the electrification project to enable the introduction of new faster, longer trains.
“It is important that we have stations that are safe and compliant in the newly electrified railway environment but also that provide a better overall experience for passengers using the railway.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the local community and thank them for their patience as we deliver this investment to upgrade the railway.”
Notes to Editors
No services on the Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Central via Shotts route will call at Breich station from Saturday 23 June until Friday 17 September 2018
Work will start with the removal of the station footbridge which will then be followed by work to demolish and reconstruct both platforms concurrently. In total more than 1700 tonnes of spoil will be removed from site by rail.
Work on the platforms will be followed by the creation of the new access ramp from the A708 road bridge over the station to platform 2 on the north side
New platforms in the station will be 98m in length to accommodate the new 4 carriage Class 3845 electric trains that will be introduced on the route post electrification
Breich is located between Addiewell to the east and Fauldhouse to the west. Both towns are served by railway stations. Addiewell station is two miles from Breich while Fauldhouse station is 2.9 miles away.
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