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Wednesday 28 Mar 2018

Easter line closure is platform for Livingston South redevelopment

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers who use the line between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central via Shotts are being reminded to plan ahead as the line will close for 10 days this Easter as part of a £160m project to electrify the route.

From 9pm Thursday March 29, to 6am Monday, April 9, no trains will run on the line while Network Rail engineers work to widen and extend both platforms at Livingston South and install and energise overhead line electrification (OHLE) at Midcalder Junction in a £2m package of Easter works.

The bulk of the work being delivered over Easter is to make sure the platforms at Livingston South station are safe and compliant for an electrified railway and long enough for the new six carriage trains that will be introduced on the route. 

As well as work to the platforms, the £3.5m redevelopment will see the construction of lifts on both sides of the station to deliver step-free access, installation of new staircases and the re-alignment of existing ramps.

Improvements to lighting and CCTV and enhancements to customer information systems, ticket machines, validators and waiting shelters will also be delivered at the West Lothian station.

The work is a key part of the 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.

A bus replacement service will be in operation serving all stations on the route.

Brian Mallon, Network Rail programme manager for the Shotts Line Electrification project, said: “We know that closing the line is never a popular choice for passenger. The ten day closure is the best option to safely and efficiently deliver the work required and we have scheduled this work in such a way as to minimise disruption over the Easter holiday period when fewer people are travelling.

“Redeveloping Livingston South station is vital to the successful completion of the electrification project and the introduction of new faster, longer trains and we will also take the opportunity to do as much work as we possibly can all across the Shotts Line during the closure, to maximise progress and reduce the need for further disruption.

“We appreciate the cooperation of the local community and thank them for their patience as we deliver this massive investment to upgrade the railway.”

The closure has been carefully planned for the school holiday period, when passenger numbers are lower and some passengers may be able to be more flexible with their travel plans.

Passengers wishing to travel on these dates are being advised to allow longer time for journeys on replacement bus services. Those who wish to remain on the train are advised to use Livingston North on the Glasgow Queen Street line.

Information on alternative travel options can be found at scotrail.co.uk/LivingstonSouth and updates on the project are available via twitter @ShottsLineElec

Across Britain, more than 15,000 railway staff will be out delivering £118m-worth of investment at more than 400 locations as part of Network Rail’s long-term plan to create more reliable infrastructure and improved facilities for passengers.

Mark Carne, chief executive at Network Rail, said: “This Easter, thousands of rail workers will be working round the clock to deliver crucial upgrades to the rail network as part of the £50bn Railway Upgrade Plan.

“This huge investment programme will provide faster, better services and help relieve over-crowding to respond to the huge growth on Britain’s railways.

“While most of the network is open for business as usual, some routes are heavily affected and so we strongly advise passengers to plan ahead this Easter.”

A breakdown of how some journeys will be affected can be found by visiting nationalrail.co.uk/Easter and following #EasterBHWorks on Twitter.