Media centre

Tuesday 24 Jun 2025

Essential vegetation clearing work planned between Wemyss Bay and Inverkip

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is preparing to begin essential vegetation management work along the railway between Wemyss Bay and Inverkip, involving clearing overgrown trees and plants that could pose a risk to trains and passengers. 

The first phase of the £2 million project is scheduled to begin on Sunday 6 July and will complete in August. Further phases will cover Inverkip to Branchton, Branchton to Whinhill, and Whinhill to Port Glasgow. The entire project is expected to be completed by April 2026. 

Overhanging branches and greenery close to the railway can cause serious safety issues such as falling onto the tracks, blocking signals, or damaging overhead lines. To prevent this, Network Rail’s specialist teams carry out detailed assessments to identify and manage vegetation that could become dangerous. 

Gemma Dallas, Scheme Project Manager at Network Rail Scotland, said: “Managing the trees and plants along the railway between Wemyss Bay and Inverkip is vital to keeping services running reliably and ensuring the line remains safe for everyone who uses it. This stretch of railway runs through a scenic and well-loved part of the west coast, so we’ve planned the work carefully to balance the need for maintenance while caring for the local environment and habitats. 

“Some of the work needs to be carried out at night to protect our teams and avoid disruption to daytime train services. We’d like to apologise in advance for any disturbance and are grateful to the local community for their patience and support while we carry out this important work.” 

Teams will be on site Sunday nights from 9:30pm to 6:30am, and Monday to Thursday nights from 11:30pm to 6:30am. Some daytime work will also take place Monday to Thursday between 7:00am and 4:30pm. 

A community drop-in session will be held at Wemyss Bay Community Centre on Monday 30 June, from 4pm to 7pm. Residents are encouraged to attend to speak with the project team and learn more about the work.