Following completion of building the first mile of the Levenmouth Rail Link, work is continuing on the next mile, which unlike the first mile will be double-tracked.
The first mile of the reinstated line was completed in March. That included connecting the link to the main line at Thornton Junction and installing drainage and troughing for cable routes. Further work taking place includes fencing, and bridge works along the length of the new line.
Commissioning of the first mile is now imminent so that it can be signed off as operational so that engineering trains can operate during the future phases of the work. This will impact the local population, so the project team will be reminding local people that work is in progress, and they must keep clear of the area to avoid coming into contact with engineering trains, railway plant, or machinery delivering the work.
All traces of the original track has been lifted and existing the ballast has been removed, which has revealed the formation level of the track-bed. Work will now focus on rebuilding the railway solum (the surface and subsoil layers) wide enough so that it can accommodate a double-track railway line.
Work on the rail link started in January, the first rails were laid in March, also in March there was evidence of work taking place at various places along the route, and the MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife paid a visit to line in May.
Some sections of the embankment next to the line require re-profiling so that there is enough space for the new double-track sections. The new track-bed will then be formed followed by laying ballast which has been stock-piled in Thornton yard. New sleepers can then be positioned and then rails laid.
The current schedule is for station designs to be complete and planning applications made later this year, and the line to open in 2024.
Joe Mulvenna, Project Manager for the Levenmouth Rail Link Project said: “We are delighted with progress on the project to date and look forward to continuing to bring the new railway to Leven and the surrounding areas.
“Various elements of work are underway or ongoing all across the route and activity is set to ramp up even further in the coming months and so we are asking people who have previously used the area to walk dogs, for leisure or for exercise to please find an alternative.
“Increased work activity means more vehicle movements and the first-mile section will be a live railway and so very dangerous. Our priority is safety, both of the local people and for those working hard to deliver the project, and the best way to promote safety is by now asking local people not to continue to use the railway corridor.”
