10.01.17
NR demolishes two key bridges as part of Scottish electrification work
Network Rail has demolished two railway bridges on the Shotts line this past weekend as part of a Scottish government investment to electrify the route by 2019.
The bridges, over Station Road in Shotts and the A71 in West Calder, were demolished over a 54-hour period between Friday night and Monday morning with intensive work planned for weekends throughout January to begin reconstructing the bridges.
The demolition and reconstruction of the two bridges is part of an intensive 16-week programme of work to ‘height clear’ the bridges ahead of the planned electrification of the line, which forms part of Network Rail’s wider Railway Upgrade Plan.
Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s head of programme management for the Shotts line electrification, said: “Demolishing the bridge is the noisiest and most disruptive element of the work but it marks an early and significant milestone in the overall programme. We are delighted that the work over the weekend went so well.
“Delivering this work in just 16 weeks is a huge logistical challenge, but we have planned carefully with our contractors BAM Nuttall and have every confidence in the project team’s ability to complete this work with the minimum possible inconvenience.”
Train services on the line are expected to be impacted by the work throughout January with road users and communities close to diversion routes also likely to be affected, particularly by the closure of the A71.
Network Rail has looked to minimise disruption by working with North Lanarkshire and West Lothian Councils to put appropriate ‘all vehicle’ diversions in place on the routes.
To counter the increased volumes of traffic expected during the A71 closure, Network Rail has also undertaken work to enhance roads in the area, imposing safety measures such as speed limits, parking restrictions and temporary traffic to maintain the flow of traffic on the diverted route.
(Image c. Network Rail)
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