14.06.18
NR awards £20m signalling contract for Highland mainline
Siemens has been awarded a £20m re-signalling contract by Network Rail.
The contract will see sections of the Highlands mainline re-signalled as part of the £57m, Scottish Government-funded investment in the line, which links the Highland Capital and the Central Belt.
The work will include significant re-signalling of Aviemore and Pitlochry stations, which will see the historic semaphore signals replaced with colour lights.
Along with this work, there will also be platform extensions at Pitlochry, and an extension of the double track section to the north at Aviemore station. There will also be an upgrade of three private level crossings at Pitlochry.
The upgrades are expected to help to deliver an hourly service between Perth and Inverness and reduce average journey times by around 10 minutes, as well as potentially improving the times of the first and last trains between Inverness and the Central Belt.
It will also provide a better distribution of calls at the intermediate stations between Perth and Inverness on Scotland’s newly refurbished InterCity trains (HSTs), which will be introduced on the route later this year.
Humza Yousaf, the Scottish minister for transport, said: “The awarding of a further contract for work on the Highland mainline is another important milestone in this Scottish Government funded project, which is on track to complete in spring 2019.
“The signalling works between Inverness and Perth enable far more efficient crossing of trains, which, combined with infrastructure enhancements, will contribute to delivering faster and more frequent journeys between Inverness and the Central Belt.”
Route delivery director for Network Rail, Matthew Spence, added: “Upgrading the signalling on the Highland mainline is vital to deliver more and faster trains on the line, improving stopping patterns and providing better connectivity for customers.
“We will work throughout to deliver in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible while minimising disruption for both lineside communities and passengers.”
Top image: Network Rail
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