ENGINEERING work that could have taken up to six months of weekend shutdowns has been completed in just 18 days on the £311.5 million project to electrify the railway in Fife.
Network Rail closed sections of the Fife circle between October 10-27 so engineers could work around the clock to prepare the route for overhead electric wires that will power new battery-electric trains.
During the 18-day closure, bridges at Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy, Muriespot near Coaltown of Balgonie, and Main Street in Thornton were demolished and work began to rebuild them at a greater height – creating space for the overhead electric wires. A total of 29 concrete beams were installed as part of the new bridge structures.
Teams also installed more than 200 foundations and 20 steel structures for the overhead wires, as well as four new masts on the Leven line. Signalling equipment was upgraded around Burntisland, with 26 pieces of older equipment replaced. Further upgrades were also completed between North Queensferry and Kirkcaldy.
More than 209,000 square metres of vegetation was cleared from beside the railway and modifications made to the platforms at Cardenden Station.
Completing the work during one 18-day closure meant it could be done in a fraction of the time, Network Rail explained. Using weekend closures alone, the same amount of work could have taken up to six months.
The work is part of a £311.5 million Scottish Government investment to electrify 118km of railway in Fife and introduce battery-electric trains. The new trains will reduce the railway’s reliance on diesel and are expected to provide more reliable, comfortable, and sustainable journeys.
Michael McArthur, project manager at Network Rail Scotland, said, “It’s been an incredibly busy 18 days, and our teams have done a fantastic job delivering such a huge amount of work, including working through Storm Boelo and other spells of difficult weather.
“Having the railway closed gave us the chance to do several big jobs at once rather than returning over a series of weekends. That has helped us make real progress towards bringing battery-electric trains to Fife.
“We know closing the railway has meant disruption for passengers and communities, and we’re grateful for their patience while this work has taken place.
“There’s a lot more still to do, but what’s been achieved over these 18 days brings us another step closer to a quieter, greener and more reliable railway for Fife.”
