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Thursday 8 Oct 2026

This weekend: Fife rail closures begin for electrification upgrades

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers are being reminded that a major phase of work to prepare the railway in Fife for electrification begins this weekend, with line closures and changes to train services planned. 

Starting this Saturday, teams will spend 18 days carrying out some of the biggest and most complex parts of the project, including rebuilding bridges, making changes to the track and upgrading signalling equipment. 

The work is part of the Scottish Government's £311.5m investment to electrify 118km of railway in Fife and introduce battery-electric trains. The investment will reduce reliance on diesel trains, helping deliver quieter, more sustainable journeys while supporting Scotland's net zero ambitions. 

Before overhead power lines can be installed, parts of the railway need to be altered to create the space needed for the new equipment.  

During this phase of work, bridges at Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy, Muriespot near Coaltown of Balgonie and Main Street in Thornton will be demolished and rebuilt, while the bridge at Cardenden Road in Cardenden will be upgraded.  

Teams will also continue installing foundations for the masts alongside the track that will support the overhead wires and carry out further track and signalling improvements. 

To allow the work to be carried out safely, temporary changes to train services will be in place:  

• Saturday 10 to Friday 23 October - no trains will run via Kirkcaldy. Some CrossCountry, LNER and ScotRail services will be revised, and rail replacement buses will operate. (Full details)  
   
• Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 October - buses will replace ScotRail trains between Cowdenbeath and Leven. (Full details)  

Michael McArthur, project manager at Network Rail, said: “This is a really significant stage of the project and an opportunity to complete a substantial amount of work in a relatively short space of time. 

“Teams have spent months preparing for this closure, carefully planning every activity to make the best possible use of the time available. By the end of these 18 days, we'll have completed some of the largest and most important pieces of work needed to prepare the railway for the future. 

“I'd like to thank passengers and local communities for their patience. We don't take the need for closures lightly, but making these changes now means we can move more quickly towards a quieter, greener and more dependable railway for Fife.” 

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “This is the next important phase of the work to electrify the railway through Fife, and it will mean significant changes to services for customers travelling through the area.  

“We’ll keep people moving wherever possible, with trains running on alternative routes and replacement buses serving impacted stations.  

“The travel arrangements change at different stages throughout the works, so we’re asking customers to check their journey before setting off and allow some extra time to travel.  

“We appreciate everyone’s patience while this important investment in Scotland’s Railway continues.” 

Main Street in Thornton will also close from Monday 19 October 2026 until 31 March 2027 to allow for bridge work.  

More information is available on the Scotland’s Railway website.