26.07.16
Glasgow Queen Street tunnel to open one day earlier than planned
Work at Glasgow Queen Street has been successfully completed, with the tunnel due to open one day ahead of schedule.
The high level station closed on 20 March in order to allow Network Rail engineers to reinstall more than 4,000m of new track.
Engineers finished laying the first line of track in June, and ScotRail announced yesterday that the tunnel will reopen on 7 August, not the eighth as was originally planned.
Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “I’m delighted to confirm that we will be able to reopen the Queen Street tunnel a day ahead of schedule.
“This has been an extraordinarily complex job. Our people have been working round the clock, often in really challenging circumstances, to get this job done. This has been one of the most significant pieces of work ever carried out on our railway. That we have managed to do it while still keeping people moving is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff.
“I’m incredibly grateful to our customers for the patience and understanding that they have shown over the course of the last five months. The work that we have been doing at Queen Street will deliver amazing benefits for our customers in the future. Our new faster, longer greener trains will be arriving in just over a year’s time, meaning more seats, shorter journey times with less impact on our environment.”
The entire station is due to be redeveloped by 2019, subject to the relevant permissions.
The latest edition of RTM features an interview with Rodger Querns, programme director for the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), on the work at Glasgow Queen Street.
The ORR’s recent assessment of Network Rail Scotland warned that EGIP is not on track to meet key dates in its electrification programme by the end of this year.
(Image c. Network Rail)
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