FENCING is being installed as a ‘safety priority’ along the Levenmouth Rail Link, as Network Rail looks to bring trains back to the line for the first time in half a century.
Nineteen kilometres of fencing is to be erected so that forthcoming work to reinstate the branch line can be carried out without members of the public coming into contact with the plant machinery.
The fencing being installed will extend along the full length of the route to secure the boundaries of the rail corridor but existing pathways and crossing points will be maintained during early phases of work.
Preparatory work has seen the clearance of vegetation along the five-mile corridor and the removal of redundant and life-expired railway equipment from the former line. Invasive plant species have been treated, structures inspected and trial holes have been drilled along the full length of the route to check ground conditions and test for contamination.
Joe Mulvenna, Network Rail project manager for the Levenmouth Rail link said, “While we understand that over the years, the disused railway has been accessed by people exercising and enjoying the river, as well as crossing on well-used paths between communities, that will not be the case for much longer.
“The whole corridor between Thornton and Leven will soon become a major construction site and while we will maintain some limited access on paths across the railway corridor during the early phases of work, in general we are asking people to find alternative walking routes.
“The scale of the work that will be involved in the project means that in the short-term there will be some disruption for the area, but It is an exciting development that has the potential to transform life for local people and the communities it will serve.”
