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Thursday 17 Apr 2025

East Kilbride engineering works on-track for May reopening

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

With just a month to go until the end of the 16-week closure of the East Kilbride-Glasgow Central line engineers have now completed laying new tracks and installing overhead power lines on the route.

Since January, specialist teams have been working around-the-clock to install the new infrastructure needed to power electric trains as part of a £140m investment by the Scottish Government.

So far during the closure Network Rail has:

• Double-tracked 1.4km of railway between East Kilbride and Hairmyres
• Installed over 22km of overhead electric power lines
• Erected new footbridges at Busby, Clarkston and Giffnock stations
• Renewed the railway bridge over East Kilbride Road in Busby
• Lowered the track under three key bridges.

Over the next four weeks – ahead of the reopening of the line on May 18 – engineers will finish the installation of new signalling systems on the route and complete work on the new Hairmyres station.

A new two-platform station with an accessible footbridge, the new Hairmyres will open for passengers next month and is located around 500m west of the old station.

Being delivered in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council, the new £7.2m transport interchange at Hairmyres will provide park and ride and bus interchange facilities, which include approximately 500 spaces and traffic signal-controlled junctions to access the car parks.

In addition, there will be new active travel connections and cycle parking, as well as an upgraded junction nearby and a new pedestrian crossing on Eaglesham Road.  The south car park and approximately half of the north car park at the station will be ready by 18 May, with the remaining north car parking area to finish over the summer.

Paul Reilly, Network Rail senior programme manager, said: “The complex engineering work we have completed over the past three months is critical to the successful electrification of the line.

“Our engineers have been working around-the-clock to deliver these enhancements as quickly as possible and we remain on course to welcome passengers back onto the railway in May.

“We understand the inconvenience the closure has caused for both customers and some of our neighbours and we thank them for their patience while we build a better, greener railway for the local community.”

Colin Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “Travelling by bus and rail in East Kilbride has always been popular and with the two new stations and all the other associated works, this will continue to make traveling by public transport attractive for residents of East Kilbride.

“It’s great to see the speed at which a project of this scale has been brought forward and I’m sure passengers will benefit greatly as they return to use these new facilities next month.”

Once the overall project completes in December 2025, the investment in the line will see:

• Electrification of the railway from Glasgow to East Kilbride
• A new station at East Kilbride
• A new station with two platforms and accessible footbridge at Hairmyres
• A new footbridge at Busby station
• Improved access at Giffnock, with a new accessible footbridge
• Improved access to Platform 2 at Clarkston station

Throughout the 16-weeks, no train services are running to East Kilbride until 18 May, with a replacement bus service operating – please check via scotrail.co.uk/east-kilbride-enhancement-project.

Members of the public with questions about this work can contact Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41. For the latest information and progress updates, follow Network Rail Scotland on X/Twitter: @NetworkRailSCOT