Friday 26 Jul 2024
Major works complete on the East Kilbride Enhancement project
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
A significant milestone on the project to enhance the East Kilbride to Glasgow railway line has been achieved this week.
Engineers completed major works across the route between Friday 19 and Monday 22 July, with passenger services now running, following the closure of the line during the work.
The closure of the line allowed the remaining steel pile foundations to be installed between Busby and Thornliebank as part of a £140m enhancement to electrify the railway.
Overhead line steelwork was installed over a viaduct near Busby with track side cabinets and more than 60m of cabling that power signalling equipment being relocated to the new Hairmyres station.
Ahead of these works starting, the project also completed the installation of 24 steel foundations that will support the new footbridge and lifts at Hairmyres.
Three more days of continuous works are planned for the last weekend in September (Friday 28 until Monday 30). This is to allow the demolition of bridges at Thornliebank Road and Westerton Crescent near Busby station.
Stephen McCall, Network Rail senior programme manager, said: “I would like to thank passengers and residents for their patience and understanding as we delivered these vital engineering works.
“Having an extended period on the railway allowed the enhancement project to take a significant step forward, as we’ve been able to deliver some elements more quickly.
“At the end of September, we have another opportunity to work continuously to deliver another major part of the project.
“Thornliebank Road bridge represents the largest civils structure we’re replacing on the route. To ensure efficiencies in terms of delivery, we’ll also remove the footbridge near Busby station at the same time. We’ll be updating the community and passengers in advance of this work starting.
“The project is now at a stage where people can really start to see the transformation of the railway environment, which ultimately will provide a more sustainable and reliable mode of travel for passengers.”
Network Rail and contractors SPL Powerlines, Story, AmcoGiffen, Siemens, Rail Systems Alliance Scotland and QTS are delivering the project as part of a wider Scottish Government investment to decarbonise railway passenger services.
The enhancement project is scheduled to complete in December 2025
For the latest information and updates on our works, follow on X (Twitter) @NetworkRailScot or visit www.scotlandsrailway.com
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