TRACK work on the £116 million project to bring rail travel back to Levenmouth has passed the halfway point, Network Rail has announced.
The rail organisation said that the latest phase of track installation marks a ‘significant’ milestone on the project, with it seeing the first three miles of rail in place from Thornton junction.
Since the start of work on the line, the track bed has been dug out with 30,000 tonnes of spoil removed. The ground has been waterproofed and approximately 37,000 tonnes of new stone ballast laid.
Engineers have installed more than 18,000 sleepers and 22 kilometres of rail in 100 215-metre-long sections of rail to complete the new section of track.
Work to reinstate the six-mile Levenmouth Rail Link first got underway in March 2022 and includes repairs to existing bridges, construction of two new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven as well as laying six miles of new track.
Due for completion in 2024, the project will see Leven reconnected to the rail network for the first time in more than five decades.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Scottish Government 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.”
Joe Mulvenna, Network Rail’s project manager for the Levenmouth Rail Link, added, “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.”
