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Monday 22 Oct 2018

Successful completion of Stirling Dunblane Alloa engineering works

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Lines through Stirling re-opened this morning (Monday 22 October) following successful completion of an eight-day, multi-million-pound upgrade to prepare the railway for electrification.

More than 200 engineers worked over 30,000 hours across the week to modernise signalling systems, upgrade station platform ducting and install the overhead power equipment needed to introduce electric services through Stirling from December.

The work, which is part of a Scottish Government-funded programme to electrify lines throughout the central belt, started last Saturday night (13 October), continued around the clock 24-7 and completed at 11pm on Sunday 21 October for start of service this morning.

Over the eight days engineers worked from Larbert through Stirling to Alloa and Dunblane to erect 30 masts and 250 cantilevers, install 5km of cable ducting and run 36 kilometres of overhead wires. Signalling systems were also upgraded and commissioned as the line is prepared for electrification and the introduction of new longer, faster greener trains this December.

The electrification of Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa will mean:

• Many services operated by electric class 385 trains, which will offer a better experience and reduce some journey times from Stirling to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• More seats on services between Alloa, Dunblane, Bridge of Allan, Stirling and Edinburgh and Glasgow.
• Less noise and better air quality for those who live and work near the railway.

Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s delivery director for Stirling Dunbalne Alloa electrificaton, said: 

“Electrification will transform travel across the central belt of Scotland and over this eight-day period Network Rail crews worked tirelessly to safely and successfully install the infrastructure needed to enable us to take a massive step closer to delivering electric services by December 2018.

“We understand the inconvenience these works caused to some passengers and residents and we appreciate the patience they have shown while we delivered this vital element of our electrification programme.”