Disruption as Carstairs improvement works begin this weekend

ScotRail services will not run between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Carstairs between Saturday 4 March and Tuesday 30 May, as Network Rail works to modernise Carstairs Junction.

ScotRail is urging passengers in Carstairs, Carluke, Wishaw and Motherwell to plan ahead and consider their travel options during the major improvement works on an important section of the West Coast Mainline linking Glasgow and Edinburgh to London.

Network Rail will carry out the £164m overhaul in three phases between 4 March and 4 June. It aims to simplify and upgrade the junction's track layout to reduce congestion at what it calls a “bottleneck” on the network. It hopes that this will make services more reliable and better able to meet the demands of both passenger and freight trains. 

ScotRail has amended its peak time services as follows: 

• 07.05 Glasgow Central to Edinburgh via Carstairs will be diverted via Shotts with replacement buses in operation from Carstairs, Carluke, Wishaw, and Motherwell for customers to connect at Bellshill. 
• 07.18 Carstairs to Glasgow Central High Level and 07.39 Carstairs to Garscadden via Glasgow Central Low Level will start at Wishaw. 
• 17.37 Anderston to Carstairs will terminate at Wishaw. 

Valid train tickets between Carstairs and Glasgow Central will be accepted on the 37 and 137 Stuarts Coaches service between Carstairs and Lanark, which will enable passengers to connect with ScotRail services between Lanark and Glasgow Central High Level, and will provide Carstairs passengers with an hourly service to and from Glasgow. 

Passengers in Carluke, Wishaw, and Motherwell may use the half-hourly ScotRail service between Lanark and Glasgow Central. Scotrail will run a replacement bus service approximately every two hours between Carluke, Carstairs, Fauldhouse and Edinburgh Waverley. From there, passengers can connect with services from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts.

The ticket office at Carstairs station will be closed for the full duration of the works, so ScotRail is encouraging passengers to buy their tickets via the mTicket system on the ScotRail app. 

The improvement work will also impact Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express, Caledonian Sleeper, LNER and CrossCountry services.

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “The remodelled layout and enhancements Network Rail is carrying out at Carstairs will deliver increased reliability and resilience of the infrastructure which will benefit ScotRail customers for years to come. 

“It's all part of our ongoing commitment to deliver a modern, reliable, efficient rail network that is fit for the future. 

“We're urging customers to plan ahead and know their travel options as their normal journey might be different while this work is taking place. Some journey times will be longer, but we will keep you moving. 

“You can find out more about our alternative travel plan and what it means for your own journey by visiting the ScotRail website or by downloading our free mobile app.”