Busy commuter train line closes for four months
Major improvement works will take place between East Kilbride and Glasgow Central from Saturday
- Published
One of Scotland's busiest commuter train routes is to close for 16 weeks while work is carried on the electrification of the line.
No trains will run between East Kilbride and Glasgow Central from Saturday until 18 May.
The £140m project will see work carried out to the track, signalling systems, bridges and overhead line equipment along the route.
Although the line will reopen in May, there will be no electric trains running on the line until at least December.
Artist's impression of the new station that will be built at Hairmyres
Customers travelling between East Kilbride and Glasgow Central have been asked to consider alternative rail routes.
However, the disruption will leave East Kilbride, one of Scotland's largest towns, without a train service for four months as alternative routes do not provide access to the town.
Services on the Barrhead line and other neighbouring routes, which serve some of the same stations, will continue to operate as normal.
ScotRail said it would add additional carriages to services on nearby routes, but services at peak times are expected to be busy.
ScotRail said rail replacement buses would operate from East Kilbride, Hairmyres, Busby and Clarkston.
However, passengers from Giffnock and Thornliebank are advised to use other stations.
Thorntonhall will have a rail replacement shuttle service to and from Hairmyres.
ScotRail offered a list of alternative travel options for each affected station on its website, external.
A new accessible footbridge will be built at Giffnock Station
Phil Campbell, ScotRail's customer operations director, said the work was "absolutely critical" in the latest phase of the project to modernise the railway.
"We know the inconvenience that extended works on the railway has on customers, and we appreciate their patience and understanding while Network Rail complete these vital improvements," he said.
"We urge customers to plan ahead and know their travel options. During the improvement works, some journey times will be longer, but we will keep you moving."
The electrification work is planned to be completed by December 2025 but ScotRail could not guarantee all services on the line would use electric trains.
It said an announcement would be made nearer the time.
The investment in the line will see:
A new station at East Kilbride
A new station with two platforms and accessible footbridge at Hairmyres
A new footbridge at Busby station
A new accessible footbridge at Giffnock
A new station entrance at Clarkston
Electrification of the railway from Glasgow to East Kilbride