The ongoing Levenmouth Rail Link works have passed the half-way point, seeing completion of the latest phase of track installation mark a significant milestone for the £116m project as the first three miles of rail now in place.
The rail line stretches from Thornton Junction – now extending more than half-way to Leven. Since the start of this Government-funded project, the track bed has been dug out with 30,000 tonnes of spoil removed. To accommodate the track installation, the ground has been waterproofed, then seeing a total of 37,000 tonnes of new stone ballast laid.
Engineering teams have successfully installed more than 18,000 sleepers and 22 km of rail in 100, 215-metre-long sections of rail to complete the new section of track.
With the inaugural works beginning in March of 2022, the reinstatement of the six-mile Levenmouth Rail Link includes requisite repairs to existing bridges, construction of two new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven as well as laying six miles of new track.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights said:
“It is really encouraging to see the halfway point for track laying being reached as work continues to reconnect Leven to the mainline rail network.
“With work now underway on both stations and activity all along the rail corridor, I really get the sense that momentum is building around the project as well as the feeling of excitement in the community in anticipation of the benefits the new line will bring.
“So, my thanks to the teams on the ground who are working hard in all weathers to bring this project to life to enable low-carbon transport options and make real the Government’s net-zero transport ambitions.”
Currently scheduled to culminate in 2024, this key project successfully reconnect Leven to the rail network for the first time in more than five decades, significantly improving opportunities for local people by removing the transport related social exclusion barriers.
Joe Mulvenna, Network Rail’s project manager for the Levenmouth Rail Link, said:
“Reaching the half-way point in the track work is a real milestone for the project and it shows the significant progress that has been made in little over a year.
“While the track is now in place for the first three miles, there is still significant heavy engineering work ongoing on those sections, such as piling and signalling and we would again encourage local people to stay away from the track for their safety, and for the safety of those operating the equipment.
“It’s been incredible to watch the progress of the track works as they have been delivered but the focus now turns more towards the construction of the new stations on the route and inevitably towards reconnecting these communities to the leisure, education and employment opportunities that the completed railway will deliver.”
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