SCOTLAND PASSENGER REMINDER: RAIL NETWORK TO UNDERGO MASSIVE WINTER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME

Tuesday 11 Dec 2007

SCOTLAND PASSENGER REMINDER: RAIL NETWORK TO UNDERGO MASSIVE WINTER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME

Region & Route:: Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers are reminded that the rail network will undergo a series of major engineering works over the coming festive holiday period.

A significant proportion of these works relate to the delivery of enhancement projects which will transform rail travel in Scotland over the next five years, including the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link and the new Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line.

The planned works will include pre-electrification engineering in Waverley station's Mound Tunnel, the redesign and renewal of track and signals at Glasgow's Shields Junction and the installation of new signalling systems at both Glasgow Central station and between Larbert and Stirling. Vital maintenance will also take place at various locations on the Edinburgh-Glasgow and Dundee-Aberdeen routes.

All the projects have been timed to minimise the impact on passenger services, and to take advantage of the absence of trains on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The scale of the work does, however, require several line closures for the full holiday period between Christmas and early January.

David Simpson, Network Rail Route Director for Scotland, said: "The rail network in Scotland is currently experiencing a level of investment of unprecedented scale and ambition. "These engineering works are vital to the delivery of important expansion projects across the country which will benefit train travellers, freight forwarders and the Scottish economy by providing new routes, increased capacity and improved reliability.

"We are fully aware of the effect these works will have on passengers and we are working with our partners to ensure that passengers are kept informed about the timetable changes and bus replacement services. Our focus is to ensure that all works are completed as quickly and effectively as possible at a time of year when the demand on commuter services is reduced."

Steve Montgomery, First ScotRail's Operations and Safety Director, said the investment and maintenance programmes were essential to deliver the network’s expansion.

He added: "They will involve a high number of replacement buses, but we have done everything possible to keep inconvenience to an absolute minimum. Clearly, some journeys will take longer than normal and our customers should allow more time for travel."

In the west, resignalling works at Glasgow Central Station will be carried out on December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 2, with all services into High Level platforms on Boxing Day and January 2 being replaced by trains to Low Level platforms or by buses.

Improvement works at Shields Junction, just west of Glasgow Central, will mean that services to and from Ayrshire and Inverclyde will start and terminate at Paisley Gilmour Street between December 26 and January 6. Replacement bus services will operate between Paisley Gilmour Street, Paisley Canal and the city centre.

In Edinburgh, work to electrify the Mound Tunnel will begin on December 25 and will continue until January 4. Services to and from Waverley will be reduced in frequency with some starting and terminating at Haymarket.

On January 2, services travelling through the Larbert area to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen will be affected by resignalling works on the line between Larbert and Stirling.

Network Rail is working closely with First ScotRail and other operators to minimise disruption for passengers. Details of revised services are available from National Rail Enquiries at www.nationalrail.co.uk or phone 08457 48 49 50.

Notes to editors

Activity summary: Shields Junction renewal & Glasgow Central signalling 26 December and 2 January No services will operate from Glasgow Central High Level. A bus replacement service will operate between Glasgow Central, Crossmyloof, Pollokshields East and Pollokshields West where rail services will operate to/from East Kilbride, Barrhead, Kilmarnock, Newton and Neilston. On 26 December Services to/from Shotts will be replaced by buses connecting with train services between Motherwell & Glasgow Central Low Level. On 2 January, Shotts-Edinburgh Waverley services will start/terminate at Motherwell connecting with train services between Motherwell and Glasgow Central Low Level. Services to Whifflet will be replaced by a bus operation. Bus replacement services will operate between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street / Paisley Canal. Rail services will operate between Paisley Gilmour Street and Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Ardrossan, Largs & Ayr. 27 to 31 and 3 to 6 January Buses will operate between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street / Paisley Canal. Rail services will operate between Paisley Gilmour Street and Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Ardrossan, Largs & Ayr. Some services between Glasgow and Kimarnock will be extended to/from Ayr. Virgin Trains - 1/2 January Virgin Trains operate between Motherwell and England with road coach connections between Glasgow Central and Motherwell. Mound Tunnels 27 to 31 December and 2 to 4 January Services to/from Edinburgh Waverley reduced in frequency with some starting/terminating at Haymarket. 27 December to 31 December Edinburgh-Glasgow – a Saturday service will operate with extra calls at Linlithgow, Polmont and Croy. Plean Junction & Dundee/Aberdeen 2 January Services between Edinburgh and Aberdeen will terminate/start at Dundee. Services between Glasgow and Aberdeen will run direct to Dundee. Services between Glasgow and Inverness will run non stop between Glasgow and Perth. Additional services will operate between Stirling and Dundee. Services to/from Glasgow and Stirling will be diverted to Falkirk Grahamston with some extended to/from Edinburgh Waverley replacing the Dunblane to Edinburgh service. Replacement bus services will operate between Falkirk Grahamston and Stirling/Dunblane and between Dundee and Aberdeen. December 27 and December 28 The following services between Edinburgh/Queen St and Aberdeen and Inverness are altered: 07.37 Kingussie to Inverness to depart 07.00, 21.10 Edinburgh to Aberdeen withdrawn, 06.20 Inverness to Kingussie to depart 06.00, 18.25 Aberdeen to Edinburgh withdrawn. The following services between Newcraighall/Edinburgh/Glasgow and Bathgate/Dunblane/Perth via Stirling are altered: 17.33 Queen St to Kirkcaldy terminates at Linlithgow, 17.26 Edinburgh to Dunblane withdrawn, 07.12 Bathgate to Edinburgh extended to Newcraighall calling at Brunstane, 07.27 Dunblane to Edinburgh withdrawn, 07.48 Stirling to Edinburgh withdrawn, 07.15 Kirkcaldy to Queen St starts from Linlithgow. The following services between Glasgow Central/Haymarket/Edinburgh and North Berwick are altered: 06.49 North Berwick to Haymarket withdrawn, 08.09 Prestonpans to Edinburgh withdrawn, 07.58 North Berwick to Glasgow Central withdrawn, 08.20 North Berwick to Glasgow Central additional service to operate to Saturday timings, 08.37 North Berwick to Haymarket withdrawn. All services from 14.20 North Berwick to Haymarket terminate at Edinburgh. All services from Haymarket to North Berwick start from Edinburgh except: 08.04 Edinburgh to North Berwick is withdrawn, 07.15 Edinburgh to North Berwick departs 07.37 and runs in Saturday timings. The 06.08 Edinburgh circle service departs at 06.16; all services on the Edinburgh-Fife Circle terminate at Haymarket, all services Edinburgh to Cowdenbeath start from Haymarket, all services Cowdenbeath to Edinburgh terminate at Haymarket. 29 December – 31 December As above, except 08.05 Edinburgh to North Berwick is withdrawn, 07.16 Edinburgh to North Berwick departs 07.37 and runs in Saturday timings, and 06.09 Edinburgh-Fife Circle to depart at 0.6.16 January 6 Due to track improvements and maintenance Edinburgh - Glasgow Queen Street services will start from and terminate at Falkirk High. A replacement bus service will operate between Falkirk High and Edinburgh calling at Polmont, Linlithgow and Haymarket. Edinburgh / Dunblane services will start from and terminate at Falkirk. Grahamston. A replacement bus service will operate between Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh calling at Polmont, Linlithgow, Edinburgh Park and Haymarket. All services between West Calder and Edinburgh are cancelled. An additional service will run between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central via Shotts. Note these will replace the Edinburgh /West Calder stopping pattern as applicable. As a result some trains may be altered causing extended journey times.

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

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.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre