A £63.3m upgrade to prepare the Barrhead to Glasgow line for electrification is set to begin.
The project includes activity at four key stations – Kennishead, Priesthill & Darnley, Nitshill and Barrhead with engineers installing overhead power cables and carrying out ducting work and parapet modifications. The works will be carried out between 24 June and 4 August 2023.
The work will allow electric services to be introduced to the line.
Nitshill station footbridge will also be removed during the six-week period as it doesn’t provide the required clearance for the new overhead equipment. In its place, a longer ramp will be installed, providing step-free access.
Ahead of the works starting at Nitshill station, Network Rail is holding community drop-in events for residents to find out more about the bridge replacement work and to meet members of the project team to ask any questions.
Paul Reilly, Network Rail senior programme manager, said: “Electrification continues to transform travel, with 325 single track kilometres of new electric railway delivered across the central belt over the last decade.
“The Barrhead to Glasgow electrification project represents the current phase of our wider decarbonisation programme and our drive to create a greener, cleaner and more reliable railway.
“The six weeks of work marks a major milestone for the project, as our engineers work around-the-clock to complete this critical final phase of the programme, as this will then allow us to test the new overhead equipment in the run up to the line being fully energised on 6 August.”
Once the Barrhead to Glasgow electrification project completes later this year, it will enable future electric services to operate on the route and further encourage more passengers on to the railway.
The works on the line are part of the Scottish governments wider decarbonisation project
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