Track and signalling

Vital upgrades on Edinburgh’s track this Christmas

As of Christmas Day (25 Dec), engineers at Network Rail will be working to renew Edinburgh’s Haymarket junction.

Essential track work will be carried out from the Dec 25 to 29, with major upgrades to renew four sets of points and replace of 250m of track.

The sets of point are used to transfer trains from one line to another by the moving of the rails.

This Junction, located west of Haymarket station, is one of the busiest on Scotland’s Railway, used by up to 30 trains per hour.

This project will ensure that the track is suitable for decades to come and will see improved reliability of the track for passengers.

Works have been planned to coincide with Christmas and Boxing day holidays, when no ScotRail trains run to Edinburgh, minimising passenger disruption.

A replacement bus will be in operation for the days that are affected by the upgrade work from stations to the west of the city into Edinburgh Waverly.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland Route Director, said:

“Haymarket East junction is a key part of Scotland’s Railway and is used by hundreds of trains a day travelling to destinations across Scotland and England.

“We understand the inconvenience this work will cause to some passengers, but renewing such a complex piece of our railway cannot be accomplished without a short-term closure of the line.

“Our engineers have carefully planned this project to be completed as quickly as possible and we are working hard alongside our train operators to keep passengers informed of the changes to services during this important investment in the railway.”