Media centre

Thursday 24 Nov 2005

WORKERS DEDICATE CHRISTMAS TO £10M RAIL UPGRADE

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Hundreds of rail workers will be out on the tracks this Christmas to make improvements worth more than £10 million to Scotland’s railways. Work will be carried out from midnight on Christmas Eve in Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk High and on the West Coast Main Line. It will include renewing track to make the infrastructure more reliable, and modernising a bridge near Symington, Biggar. David Simpson, Route Director, said: “While many people are at home winding down and tucking into turkey, Network Rail will be stepping up the pace to bring big improvements for train passengers in Scotland. “We’ve got a challenging schedule, but our teams are very experienced. It’s a measure of our staff’s commitment that they are prepared to dedicate Christmas to this vital work. “The engineering can only be done when no trains are running, which is why we’re carrying it out during the quieter festive period. We’re working closely with the train operators, who have made alternative travel arrangements for those days when trains would normally run.” The work includes:

• Renewing and remodelling the track at Polmont Junction at a cost of £3 million, making it more reliable and easier to maintain
• £3.4 million track renewals at Carstairs, Carluke and Uddingston on the West Coast Main Line. A total of 2,720 yards of track will be renewed
• Renewing 2,436 yards of track from Linlithgow to Philpstoun at a cost of £1.5 million
• £1.6 million works to revamp a bridge near Symington. The existing single span, wrought iron deck will be replaced with a modern steel and concrete designed for minimum maintenance
• Renewing slab track at Falkirk High Tunnel at a cost of around £350,000
• £300,000 of work will be carried out at Craigton Cutting in Winchburgh to prepare for further, more complex work on the rock slope next year

  Work will take place between midnight on Christmas Eve until Thursday 29 December. Network Rail has worked closely with the train operators who have organised alternative transport for affected services on Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 December. Timetables will be available at staffed stations.  Passengers can also check their train times by calling the National Rail Enquiry Service on 08457 48 49 50. We apologise for any inconvenience to passengers.