Network Rail has announced that track work on the Levenmouth Rail Link has passed the half-way point.
Completion of the latest phase of track installation marks a significant milestone on the Scottish Government-funded project with the first three miles of rail now in place from Thornton Junction, now extending more than half-way to Leven.
Since the start of work on the line, engineers have dug out the track bed, removing 30,000 tonnes of spoil, and have waterproofed the ground and laid approximately 37,000 tonnes of new stone ballast.
Engineers have installed more than 18,000 sleepers and 22 km of rail in on hundred 215-metre-long sections of rail to complete the new section of track.
Work to reinstate the six-mile Levenmouth Rail Link got underway in March 2022 and includes repairs to existing bridges, construction of two new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven, and laying six miles of new track. The £116 million project, which is due for completion in 2024, will reconnect Leven to the rail network for the first time in more than five decades.
Following successful completion of a range of preparatory activities the project to deliver the new Levenmouth Rail Link kicked off in March 2022.
Work includes:
- 19 single track kilometres of new / reinstated railway. (Fully double tracked railway)
- Two new modern accessible stations
- Electrification of the line
- Work with partners to optimise interchange options connecting stations.
The project is a £116.6m Scottish Government investment, and is scheduled to complete in Spring 2024.
The first mile of track completed by the project has already been brought into use to support construction of the subsequent phases of work. The second phase of track work is also now complete. Current work to the west of the route includes fencing, re-profiling of embankments, drainage and cabling works. Work is now underway on both Cameron Bridge and Leven stations.
Preparatory work on the (Bawbee) Leven bridge is now underway as we prepare to close the road in May 2023. This includes construction of the temporary road and bridge for a diversion route during the closure. Planning applications for both station developments on the line were submitted to Fife Council in October 2022, the same month that MP Wendy Chamberlain visited the site.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights said: “It is really encouraging to see the halfway point for track laying being reached as work continues to reconnect Leven to the mainline rail network.
“With work now underway on both stations and activity all along the rail corridor, I really get the sense that momentum is building around the project as well as the feeling of excitement in the community in anticipation of the benefits the new line will bring.
“So, my thanks to the teams on the ground who are working hard in all weathers to bring this project to life to enable low-carbon transport options and make real the Government's net-zero transport ambitions.”
Joe Mulvenna, Network Rail's project manager for the Levenmouth Rail Link, said: “Reaching the half-way point in the track work is a real milestone for the project and it shows the significant progress that has been made in little over a year.
“While the track is now in place for the first three miles, there is still significant heavy engineering work ongoing on those sections, such as piling and signalling and we would again encourage local people to stay away from the track for their safety, and for the safety of those operating the equipment.
“It's been incredible to watch the progress of the track works as they have been delivered but the focus now turns more towards the construction of the new stations on the route and inevitably towards reconnecting these communities to the leisure, education and employment opportunities that the completed railway will deliver.”
