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Friday 13 Apr 2018

Kerse Road closure set to begin

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail’s demolition and reconstruction of the bridge over the railway at Kerse Road in Stirling is about to enter its next phase.

The bridge, which is on the A905, will close for six months from Monday, April 16, until late October 2018 while engineers demolish and replace the road bridge over the railway to the south of Stirling station.

The bridge work is part of a wider programme of improvements on the Stirling line ahead of the electrification of the route as part of a Scottish Government-funded investment being delivered by Network Rail.

Electrification of central Scotland’s rail network will reduce journey times to Glasgow and Edinburgh, increase capacity on peak services and provide longer, greener trains.

While work on Kerse Road is required now to enable the forthcoming electrification of the line, the new bridge has enabled Network Rail to work with Stirling Council to create the potential to enhance the local road network in line with the city’s transport strategy.

The current enhancement also avoids the need for the council to undertake significant maintenance on the bridge in the next few years with the new structure having a lifespan in excess of 100 years.

Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s route delivery director, said: “This upgrade represents a significant improvement for both road and rail users. It is also vital to the introduction of a new state-of-the-art train fleet on the line.

“We understand the impact that this closure will have on the local community, however, this is the best way to minimise the overall disruption that this unavoidable work will have on Stirling.”