Friday 7 Sep 2012
PAISLEY CANAL ELECTRIFICATION WORKS SET TO BEGIN
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
- Engineers working to deliver electric train services by Christmas
- Drop-in events to keep local communities informed
Construction work is about to begin on the £12m project to fully electrify the railway line between Paisley Canal and Glasgow Central.
Following extensive preparatory works along the line of route, engineering work will commence on Saturday, September 22.
Designed to improve efficiency and reliability on the route, the project will see five miles of railway electrified between Paisley Canal and Corkerhill, sections of track altered to allow electric trains to run on the line and the enhancement of stations and bridges.
Scheduled for completion by December, the project is the first to be delivered under a landmark new alliance between Network Rail and ScotRail.
By working more closely and efficiently together both organisations have been able to significantly reduce the cost of the project, which was originally estimated at £28m.
To deliver the enhancements by Christmas while minimising disruption, engineers will be working extensively at evenings and weekends over the next three months.
Timetable alterations
To accommodate the works, from October 1 – November 8 the last train from Paisley Canal to Glasgow Mondays - Thursdays will be at 20:00, while the last Paisley-bound service will leave Glasgow at 19:38. Friday trains will operate as per the current timetable.
The line will also be closed on Saturdays between September 29 and November 3.
In addition, an eight-day closure of the line will take place between October 13-20 - timed to coincide with the school holidays when passenger demand drops.
ScotRail has teamed up with sister company First Bus Glasgow for passengers with valid tickets to travel on local bus services when the trains are not running.
Community drop-In events
To keep local communities and line-side residents informed about our plans, ScotRail and Network Rail are hosting community drop-ins along the route, where the public can learn more direct from the project team.
The first of these will take place between 17:00 and 20:00 on Wednesday, September 12, in the Stow Brae Kirk church hall in Paisley, with a second event between 17:00 and 20:00 on Monday, September 17, in Cardonald Primary School.
David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said: “This electrification programme will bring significant improvements for those who use the line and boost the overall reliability of rail services.
“The programme of work we are undertaking has been designed to deliver these enhancements in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible and we are excited about showing the benefits the new partnership between ScotRail and Network Rail can bring for the travelling public.”
Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, stressed that arrangements were in place to assist customers make journeys when the rail line is closed. He said: “First Glasgow has agreed to allow holders of valid rail tickets to use the frequent local bus services which run close to Paisley Canal and intermediate stations along the line to Glasgow Central.”
He added, “Customers with disabilities will be provided with alternative transport where necessary."
Notes to editors
Customers will benefit in a number of ways: a more comfortable and reliable train service; quiet, eco-friendly trains that will include the newest trains in ScotRail’s fleet, the air-conditioned class 380s. Class 314s will also be used on the route.
Electric trains are much greener than their diesel counterparts; and can return energy to the grid through their braking systems.
The alliance between the two organisations has enabled cost savings across all aspects of the project. Significant savings have been achieved as a result of ScotRail waiving its right to disruption compensation payments from Network Rail.
Saving have also been achieved by employing a different approach to electrifying the route which has reduced the need to alter the height of the bridges on the line – which would have added significant costs to the overall budget.
Designed by Thomas Telford, the Canal Line started life as a canal intended to link Glasgow with Ardrossan.
Converted by the Glasgow & South West Railway in 1885, it closed in January 1983 as a through route to Kilmacolm but reopened as a branch in July 1990, with the service becoming half-hourly a couple of years later on completion of a loop near Crookston.
A plaque unveiled in 2007 at Paisley Canal for the 250th anniversary of Telford's birth commemorates the line's inclusion of the longest aqueduct arch of the canal age over the White Cart river near Hawkhead. Dumbreck Station serves Bellahouston Park, scene of both Papal visits to Scotland.
Corkerhill is a railway community with a busy ScotRail light maintenance and traincare depot. Crookston Station has featured in the Evening Times for its adoption by the Friends of Rosshall Park and Gardens.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - Scotland
0141 555 4109
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
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