21.12.17
Edinburgh Waverley opens extended platform as electrification prep continues
Preparation works for the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) will continue over the Christmas period with track improvements through Edinburgh Waverley station and Princes Street Gardens.
Work on the extension of Waverly’s platform 12 was completed this weekend, making it capable of accommodating eight-car Class 385 electric trains being introduced by ScotRail next year.
The first of the new fleet was successfully tested last month when the operator ran a train on the full journey between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street.
Rodger Querns, Network Rail programme director, stated: “Together with the electrification of the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line, the commissioning of the new platform 12 is another step forward in our journey to transform capacity at Waverley and build the best railway Scotland’s ever had.
“The electrification of our railway will allow us to run faster, longer, greener trains and cut journey times while increasing the number of seats available for passengers.”
Scotland’s transport minister Humza Yousaf, wrote for RTM in October, running through the work done so far on the EGIP project and the benefits that can be expected in future.
Further work will involve the installation of a new track crossover layout on platforms 10 and 11 to increase the flexibility of trains travelling through the station.
There will also be upgrades to some sections of “life-expired” track on the lines between Waverley and Haymarket. Most of the work will take place on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Querns commented: “Extending Edinburgh Waverley’s platforms is vital to the long-term future of the station and paves the way for the introduction of two new state-of-the-art train fleets.
“Completing such a significant piece of engineering work in one of the country’s busiest stations is a significant challenge and delivering this work over the festive period will help to limit the impact of the project on passengers by taking advantage of what is a quieter time of year.”
Network Rail boasts more than £15m-worth of infrastructure upgrades across Scotland this Christmas, with around 4,500 engineers working over 50,000 hours.
ScotRail managing director Alex Hynes appeared in RTM’s Oct/Nov edition earlier this year, speaking about the ambitious plans the alliance has for the future. He talked readers through some of the changes, including the introduction of the new electric rolling stock.
Engineers will also be completing a range of work for the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa (SDA) electrification project, which aims to add to the electrification of central Scotland.
Projects being delivered over the Christmas period include the electrification of Kippenross Tunnel near Dunblane, work on a footbridge in Stirling station, and the installation of masts and metal work between Falkirk and Larbert.
The engineering work will take place between 24 December and 27 December, and then from New Year’s Eve until 2 January next year.
Iain McFarlane, route delivery director at Network Rail, said that the work needed to be completed over a quieter period – despite it causing disruption for some commuters – in order to push on with the project.
“Having longer periods of time to work on the track continuously enables us to do more work more efficiently and push ahead with some critical elements in the delivery of the Stirling-Dublane-Alloa electrification works,” he explained.
“While we apologise for any disturbance caused as a result of these works, we would also like to thank our lineside neighbours for their continued patience as we deliver this important investment in Scotland’s railway infrastructure.”
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