Thursday 28 Jul 2005
NEW INTERCITY ROUTE TO GLASGOW TO OPEN SOON
- Region & Route:
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Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
Work starts this month on a new intercity route to Glasgow for Virgin’s new Pendolino train fleet.
The work will provide passengers with an alternative intercity route to Glasgow from the south when the main ‘West Coast Main Line’ is unavailable leading to fewer delays and disruptions. The new route involves the upgrading of the track between Gretna and Glasgow.
Ron McAulay, Network Rail's Director, Scotland said "It is great news for Scotland that this upgrade of the Glasgow and South Western Route is now going ahead. It will provide us with a new diversionary route, which means that when we have to carry out vital engineering work on the main line, passengers will still be able to enjoy a consistent and reliable service into Glasgow."
Work involves replacing or reconstructing the infrastructure along the 113 mile length, and is being carried out as part of the West Coast Route Modernisation. Work involves demolishing and reconstruction of 13 bridges, 38 track lowerings and 52 track realignment schemes. It will enable Pendolinos to be diesel hauled from Gretna Junction to Glasgow from December 2005
One of the initial packages of work involves the road bridge at Titwood Road, just outside Glasgow, which will be removed and replaced by a new bridge. Funding for the £7m scheme is being jointly split between Network Rail and Glasgow City Council.
From 5 August 2005 until June 2006, Titwood Road will be closed and a road diversion will be in place. The railway line will be closed from 24 September for 54 hours to enable the bridge to be demolished. A further line closure in April 2006 will take place to allow a new road bridge to be installed.
In order for engineering works to be carried out on the bridge at Titwood Road, the weight restriction on the bridge at Nithsdale Road will be removed to allow construction traffic to cross. The construction work to lift the weight restriction is now underway.
A temporary footbridge will be erected to maintain pedestrian access as well as a temporary service bridge for all public utilities.
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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