ScotRail is reminding customers that services between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Carstairs will resume on Tuesday, 30 May, following three months of major upgrade works.
Engineers from Scotland’s Railway have been working around the clock for the past 12 weeks to modernise the layout of the Carstairs Junction, a key section of the West Coast Mainline linking Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, and upgrade the platforms at Carstairs station.
This phase of the £164million overhaul has seen Network Rail, the infrastructure operator, simplify and upgrade the track-layout to clear an existing bottleneck on the network, making it more reliable and able to better cope with both passenger and freight demands.
Work also saw platforms at Carstairs station resurfaced with integrated tactile edging installed, along with upgraded lighting throughout the South Lanarkshire station.
The return of services will be welcome news to communities in Clydesdale who rely on the railway as a lifeline link, as well as customers in Motherwell, Wishaw, and Carluke who use the route as a faster and cheaper way to Edinburgh, compared to travelling to the capital city via Glasgow.
ScotRail customers travelling on the route will now benefit from the same timetable which operated prior to the pandemic, which includes:
- Ten trains per day from Carstairs to Glasgow Central.
- Eight trains per day from Glasgow Central to Carstairs, providing a rough two-hourly service.
- Six trains per day from Carstairs to Edinburgh Waverley.
- Eight trains per day from Edinburgh Waverley to Carstairs, providing a rough two-hourly service.
Additional engineering works by Network Rail are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 3 June and Sunday, 4 June, with normal timetable resuming again on Monday 5 June. More information on these works is available on the ScotRail website.
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “We are delighted that the work at Carstairs has been completed successfully and the station can now reopen for passenger service.
“We know lengthy line closures can be a real inconvenience for customers, and while we do everything we can to keep people moving during major upgrade works, it’s great to get people back to travelling on trains.
“I’d also like to thank our customers for their patience while this important work to both the junction and station was delivered.”
Jim McCleary, Network Rail Programme Manager, said: “While part of the work was essential to the overall delivery of the remodelling of the junction, the track-access provided an opportunity to renew and upgrade the platforms at the station.
“The station work was delivered during the 12-week closure on the line and I am delighted that this was carried out safely and efficiently. It’s credit to the skill and expertise of the contractors involved.
“Thank you to passengers for their patience during this work. I hope that they begin to see and experience the benefits the investment in the railway is delivering.”
Image credit: ScotRail
