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Friday 20 Jan 2023

Network Rail Opens Nithsdale Road Railway Bridge

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

The new bridge on Nithsdale Road, in the southside of Glasgow, will open this evening.

Network Rail is opening the new Nithsdale Road bridge to traffic this evening (Friday, 20 January), completing an important phase of the Glasgow to Barrhead electrification project.

It’s part of a wider Scottish Government investment to decarbonise passenger services across Scotland’s Railway by 2035.

Nithsdale Road has been closed since May 2022 to allow Network Rail, working with contractor Bam Nuttall Ltd, to demolish and replace the road bridge over the railway between Darnley Road (B763) and Moray Place in Glasgow’s southside.

The new structure now provides the required clearance to erect overhead powerlines beneath the bridge, ahead of the electrification of the route later this year.

In excess of 40,000 hours were worked to complete this element of the project, with the team removing over 1,000 tonnes of material.

The former bridge was removed last summer, followed by construction work that included a 750-tonne crane lifting 10 new bridge beams into position, with over 450 tonnes of concrete poured to create the new bridge deck.

Sandstone from old structure was kept and redressed as part of the finish to the new bridge.

Michelle McCaig, Network Railway project manager for the bridge work, said: “The new bridge at Nithsdale Road plays a critical part in enabling the electrification of the line through this part of the city, allowing us to deliver a more reliable and greener railway for all.

“We appreciate the inconvenience this closure had for road users, businesses and the community, particularly our neighbours living closest to the bridge, as engineering work of this type cannot be delivered without some degree of disruption.

“Through a collaborative approach with our contractor Bam Nuttall, every effort was made to minimise the impact of our work. I want to thank the community for their patience and understanding while we carried out this vital part of the Barrhead electrification project.”

A road closed at the entrance of Moray Place during the bridge work also reopened today. 

With Nithsdale Road re-opened, work now focuses on replacing the footbridge between Moray Place and Darnley Road from this month until July 2023.

Members of the public can find our more on the Glasgow to Barrhead electrification project more information by emailing EKEnhancements@networkrail.co.uk or calling the Network Rail helpline on 03457 11 41 41. For the latest information and progress updates follow on Twitter @NetworkRailScot or visit www.scotlandsrailway.com