Summer of chaos on the railways for passengers

Train passengers are being urged to plan ahead before the works begin on Scotland’s busiest rail line between  Edinburgh and Glasgow this weekend.

The closure of the Winchburgh Tunnel, near Linlithgow, will affect services from Saturday, June 13, until Monday, July 27.

ScotRail says engineers will be working round-the-clock to lower and re-lay two lines of track through the 330m-long tunnel and install equipment to carry the  overhead power lines needed for the electrification of  the railway.

A temporary timetable will be put in place and buses  will replace trains where  necessary.

But commuters have been advised by ScotRail to set off earlier than normal and plan ahead for their journeys.

Train journeys on the  busiest section from Glasgow to Edinburgh may take up to 50 per cent longer.

The work is part of a £742million improvement programme funded by the Scottish Government to  electrify the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street line  by 2016.

This is to allow faster, greener and longer electric services on the route.

Phil Verster, ScotRail  Alliance’s managing director, said: “This is a massive piece of work that will help deliver long lasting benefits to our customers.

“Electrifying the line between our two biggest cities will allow us to run faster, longer and greener trains.

“This will cut journey  times and increase the number of seats available on this key route.

“To make all of this  happen, we need to improve the line and install the equipment that we will need to run these new and improved trains, which will cause unavoidable disruption.

“This work is a vital part of transforming our railway, and the benefits will be felt for generations to come.”

A Scotrail spokesperson added that extra staff will be on hand at key stations in order to guide passengers to the next available travel  option.

She said travel times would vary but it is  believed journeys from  Glasgow to Edinburgh may take up to 50 per cent longer.

Visit www.scotrail.co.uk for further information.