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Friday 3 Mar 2017

Crosshill Road bridgeworks completed

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail has completed work on Crosshill Road in Lenzie to raise the bridge parapet heights in preparation for electrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line.

 

The junction on Crosshill Road, at the B812, to the junction of Boghead Road, on the B819, was closed overnight from February 5 to March 1 to enable engineers to carry out work to make the structure compliant with new European safety standards.

The bridge parapet walls needed to be 1.8m tall to ensure the public is a safe distance from the 25k volt electric cables which will be installed under the structure as part of the ongoing Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).

Due to the type of work, and where it has to be undertaken, this project had be done at night when trains were not running to reduce the risk to engineers and minimise the impact on road users. More than 60 structures across the route have been replaced and the parapet heights at more than 100 bridges have been raised during the delivery of the EGIP.

Kevin McClelland, Network Rail route delivery director for infrastructure projects, said: “Creating the right clearances under bridges for electrification and raising parapet heights has been a major undertaking and a vital part of our railway upgrade plan.

“Delivered across seven council areas, it has necessitated some disruption to both the road and rail network and for lineside communities as the work is largely delivered at night to maintain train services during the day.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank residents across the route for their cooperation while we delivered this massive investment in our infrastructure. We are grateful for their patience and we are confident that the benefits delivered will make it worthwhile as the electrification of the line is a genuinely transformational investment.”

A Scottish Government-funded investment, the EGIP programme of electrification across the central belt will deliver reduced journey times and increased capacity on more comfortable, efficient, reliable and greener trains.

To date, EGIP has successfully delivered the £80m electrification of the Cumbernauld line, the £25m redevelopment of Edinburgh’s Haymarket station and completion of the new, £41m Edinburgh Gateway train-tram interchange.