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Monday 18 Apr 2016

Rebuilt Philpstoun and Park Farm bridges reopen

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Park Farm and Old Philpstoun railway bridges in West Lothian have reopened following a five-month rebuild.

The road over rail bridges reopened on Friday (April 15) after engineers completed work to renew the structures and create extra height underneath for power cables to be installed as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).

EGIP is delivering a rolling programme of electrification across the central belt – reducing journey times and increasing capacity on routes by improving the infrastructure to enable faster, greener trains to run.

As well as significant utilities diversions and reinstatement at both the beginning and of the project, work involved demolition of the existing masonry arch structures over the Christmas period, strengthening the abutments, reconstruction of the decks and parapets before reconnecting the new bridges to the road network.

Rodger Querns, Programme Director for EGIP said, “The completion of work and reopening of Philpstoun and Park Farm bridges is another significant step towards delivering the height clearances required to safely install the overhead cables that will power new electric trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“The reconstruction of the bridges on the Edinburgh-Glasgow line is a considerable undertaking, not least because much of the work has to be done at night to maintain train services during the day. We apologise for the disruption during this work for local communities and commuters – particularly as the demolition happened over the Christmas holiday period.

“I would like to thank West Lothian Council for their cooperation during this work and the public for their ongoing patience and support as we deliver this important strategic investment in Scotland’s Railway.”

For further information on, visit www.egip.info or follow us on twitter @NetworkRailEGIP.