17km of railway track to be replaced on the West Coast Main Line

Network Rail has announced that it will be completing maintenance and renewal work on the West Coast Mainline over 10 weekends between April and June in 2020.

Engineers will refurbish or renew more than 17 kilometres of the track at 20 locations along the line, between Carstairs and the Scottish border.

A bridge near Beattock will also be replaced.

Due to the amount of engineering work taking place, this will mean the short term closure of the railway.

Buses will replace trains between Carlisle and both Glasgow and Edinburgh on weekends between Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, June 7.

On most weekends, the closures will affect trains from mid-morning on Saturdays until the start of service on the following Monday.

Over Easter and some weekends in May the closures will extend for longer, with buses replacing trains on Monday, April 13 and Mondays May 4 and 25.

What did the officials say?

Lindsay Saddler, head of maintenance for Network Rail Scotland, said:

“The work we are undertaking is vital for the long-term future reliability of the line.

“Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to complete these complex projects as quickly as possible.

“We understand the inconvenience these works will cause to some passengers, but working at weekends, when fewer people are travelling, helps us to limit disruption as much as we can.”

Where Next?

RailAdvent Plus
   Free Pictures, prints and streaming video!
News Homepage
   For the Latest Railway News
RailAdvent Online Shop
   Framed Prints, DVD's / Blu-Ray's and more
LocoStop Community
   Come and share your railway pictures
Mainline Steam Info
   Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Network Rail
   Visit their website