Friday 15 Sep 2023
East Coast Main Line to close for £5.7m track and drainage improvement work
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
Passengers are being advised to plan ahead as four weekends of track and drainage work begin on the East Coast Main Line in Scotland this Saturday (16 September).
Scotland’s Railway is investing £5.7m on vital improvements that will see the line closed between Edinburgh and Berwick from 22:40 hrs each Saturday until 05:55 hrs each Monday from 16 to 25 September.
On the weekends of 30 September to 2 October and 7 to 9 October, the line will close from 01:30 hrs on Saturday to 05:30 hrs on Monday.
The North Berwick and Borders lines will be closed on Sunday 17 September and Sunday 24 September, with the North Berwick line also closing on Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October.
Cross border services will also be affected by unrelated work taking place in England throughout each of the four Saturdays & Sundays, with passengers advised to check with their service operator before travelling.
During the project 820 yards of drainage improvements at various locations between Reston and Drem will be completed to stabilise an embankment.
Engineers will replace 3.8 miles of worn railway track with new stone ballast, sleepers and rails, and more than 30 engineering trains will be deployed. At the same time, de-vegetation works will be taking place with teams cutting back overhanging trees and bushes at various points on the line.
When complete, the line be more resilient and reliable throughout the year.
Liam Sumpter, Network Rail route director for Scotland, said: “The work we are undertaking is vital for the long-term future reliability of the line.
“Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to complete these complex projects as quickly as possible.
“We understand the inconvenience these works will cause to some passengers and residents and we thank them for their patience. We are committed to completing this work quickly and limiting disruption where possible.”
Passengers can check how their journey may be affected by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.scotrail.co.uk/.
Notes to Editors
- While the work on the ECML in Scotland is being carried out, work will also be taking place in England, north of Newcastle to Berwick and with the line closing across four weekends there.
- That work will close the line between 23:00 hrs on Fridays 15 September, 29 September and 6 October until 06:00 on Mondays 18 September, 2 October and 9 October. From 00:25 hrs on Saturday 23 September until 04:30 hrs on Monday 25 September the line will also be closed.
- Cross border services will be affected and rail replacement buses will be operating. Passengers should check with their service operator before travelling.
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