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Thursday 18 Jun 2020

£5m Milngavie investment is platform for rail improvement

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail will shortly begin a programme of work at Milngavie station to extend the platforms in an investment that will deliver greater operational flexibility on the line.

The work represents an investment of over £5m in the infrastructure, which will help improve performance.

Both platforms at the the station will be extended from 141m each in length to 205m by reintroducing 39m of unused platform and adding 25m of new platform at the south side of the station.

Work will also require the repositioning of signalling and overhead line equipment to accommodate the new platform lengths.

The station will remain open throughout and the vast majority of train services will operate as normal with minimal inconvenience for passengers.  There will  be some periods of continuous weekend working in the late autumn, when the line will be closed so the work can be delivered safely and efficiently. 

Throughout the five-month programme there will be work at night to ensure that services continue to operate during the day.

To set-up the site compound to support the work, 32 spaces within the station car park will be out of use for the duration of the project.

The platform work is not to operate longer trains to/from Milngavie station.  Adding additional length to the platforms is crucial to enable the ‘stabling’ of trains and to allow some trains to have more time between arrival and departure. This helps to maintain the timetable and offer a more efficient and better performing service.

Kevin McClelland, Network Rail route delivery director for capital delivery, said: “The investment we are making is key to improving the resilience and reliability of a significant route on central Scotland’s railway and in doing so, will deliver improvements in the service we offer to passengers.

“This programme of activity will involve engineers working day and night. We appreciate the impact this may have at times on those living closest to the station and thank them for their patience while we carry out this important work.

“We will deliver the project as quickly and efficiently as possible and keep disruption to a minimum for both those who use the station and the nearby residents.”

Work at Milngavie will be carried out in line with government advice on physical distancing, using additional protective equipment and learning new ways of working that will help keep everyone safe and let us get the job done.

The extended platforms will be commissioned in time for the December 2020 timetable change.

For further information, please call our 24-hr helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or via our website www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus. Updates and progress on the work will also be available on Twitter: @NetworkRailSCOT.