Line between Edinburgh and Dundee/Aberdeen to close for the next two weekends

The rail line between Edinburgh and Dundee/Aberdeen will be closed on the weekend of Saturday, 19th and Sunday, 20th February, and Saturday, 26th and Sunday 27th February because of essential engineering work.

Network Rail is investing £4m to renew a key junction on the line between Edinburgh and Dundee.

Over the two weekends the junction, which is near Leuchars station, will undergo a major upgrade, with engineers working around-the-clock to renew points and replace track.

Due to the complexity of the work, the project cannot be delivered without some short-term closures of the line.

Whilst the line is closed rail-replacement bus services will operate between Edinburgh and Dundee/Aberdeen.

Leuchars is the closest station to St Andrew’s, and the junction is vital for trains between Scotland’s capital city and Dundee and Aberdeen. This work will help improve the reliability of the track and means the junction won’t need to be renewed again for decades.

The station was originally called Leuchars Junction, as it was a junction for trains travelling directly to the Tay Bridge and Dundee, and a line through Tayport and Newport-on-Tay to the Tay Bridge.

Passengers intending to travel over those weekends should check their journey before travelling.

Detailed information on the changes to services over these weekends can be found at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk, or the ScotRail website at https://www.journeycheck.com/scotrail/

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail route director for Scotland, said: “The work we are doing is part of a five-year, £4bn investment in our railway.

“We understand the inconvenience this work will cause to some passengers but renewing such a complex piece of our railway cannot be accomplished without a short-term closure of the line.

“Our engineers have carefully planned this project to be completed as quickly as possible and we are working hard alongside our train operators to keep passengers informed of the changes to services during this important investment in the railway.”