Essential engineering work will begin next week as Network Rail delivers £7.2m of upgrades across Scotland’s railway throughout April.

The work includes track, signalling, overhead line and drainage improvements and has been planned for when train travel is typically quieter to help keep disruption to a minimum.

The vast majority of the network will remain open, but some routes will see temporary changes to services while the upgrades are carried out.

Passengers travelling over Easter and throughout April are encouraged to check their journey in advance with their train operator.

4-6 April - Engineers will carry out £2.2m of infrastructure renewals around Glasgow and install a new £1.5m bridge at Carstairs. This will mean service alterations between Glasgow Central and Motherwell / Lanark / Edinburgh.
3-8 April and 11-20 April - Reliability improvements worth £3.5m will be completed on the West Coast Main Line in South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway and further south. Journeys between Glasgow and London Euston will be affected during these dates. Lampits Road near Carstairs will also be closed from 30 March until 17 April

Gerry McQuade, capital delivery director at Network Rail Scotland said: “Our teams are preparing for a busy period ahead. Upgrading drainage systems, replacing track, installing a new bridge and renewing critical signalling assets are all essential in maintaining the safety and performance of the network for passengers and freight.

“We know any changes to normal services can be inconvenient. We aim to keep disruption to a minimum where possible and appreciate people’s patience as we deliver these improvements for Scotland’s Railway.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “This £7.2m programme of essential improvements will help improve reliability across Scotland’s Railway, supporting more dependable services in the months ahead.

“Upgrades like this are much harder to deliver when the network is at its busiest so that’s why the work is taking place across the Easter weekend and holiday period which will be quieter for travelling by train.

“We want to reassure customers that our focus is on making sure they can continue to travel with confidence and get to where they want to be and we’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding while the work takes place.

“We have robust plans in place, including rail replacement where required, and our teams will be working hard to keep people moving safely and as smoothly as possible.”

Passengers travelling throughout April are advised to check the latest information before setting off.