| Airdrie to Bathgate rail link |
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The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is a railway under construction in Central Scotland.
Instigated as part of a round of transport improvement projects proposed by the Scottish Executive in 2003, the plan is to open up a fourth direct railway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is anticipated that the project will be completed by December 2010, at an estimated cost of £300 million. The rail link received the final approval of the Scottish Parliament on 28 March 2007,1 and gained Royal Assent on 9 May 2007.2
Background
In line with plans to complete the missing part of the M8 motorway, the Executive stipulated that public transport links between Scotland's two largest cities must improve.
The new line reinstate the Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway between Airdrie and Bathgate, closed to passengers in 1956 and to freight 1982, joining the North Clyde Line of the Glasgow suburban railway network, which currently links the North Lanarkshire town of Airdrie to Glasgow Queen Street railway station, to the Edinburgh to Bathgate Line, which connects with the West Coast and East Coast Main Lines at Haymarket. It will be possible to travel from Edinburgh Waverley station to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level in around 74 minutes. It will complement the existing "Shuttle" service between Queen Street High Level and Edinburgh via Falkirk, which will remain the primary railway link between the two cities, taking 50 minutes.
Benefits and infrastructure improvements
The line will bring significant benefits to the West Lothian area, which will be better connected to the Greater Glasgow conurbation. New stations will serve the towns of Caldercruix and Armadale, while the new town of Livingston will have an additional direct rail link to Glasgow. The possibility of stations at Plains and Blackridge is also being investigated by the Scottish Executive, though they do not form part of the Act's proposal.
In order to permit four trains per hour in each direction, the following improvements to the existing line will be made:
- The entire line will be double track, doubling the lines between Airdrie and Drumgelloch, and between Bathgate and Cawburn Junction, east of Uphall.
- Upgrading of Newbridge Junction, where the railways from Bathgate and Falkirk to Edinburgh join.
- Rebuilding Drumgelloch and Bathgate stations in new locations.
Although the initial plans do not mention rolling stock upgrades, they do mention that the new line will be rated for 80 mph running. The Class 320 rolling stock that currently provides the majority of services on the North Clyde route has a maximum speed of 75 mph. It is anticipated that the line will be served by Class 334 and possibly Class 318 EMUs once they have been released from the Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes following the introduction of new Class 380 stock in 2010.
Progress and current status
- The start of work was officially signalled with a sod cutting ceremony at Livingston North station in June 2007.3
- Contracts worth £300m for design, installation and commissioning of signalling and telecommunications had been awarded by July 2008.4
- Remodelling of Newbridge Junction and doubling of Bathgate branch was completed in October 2008.
References
- ^ BBC News article - Major rail link project approved
- ^ BBC News article - Rail link scheme gets green light
- ^ "West Lothian Business Portal - Work starts on Airdrie to Bathgate rail link". westlothian.com (2008-06-21). Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
- ^ "World infrastructure market July 2008". Railway Gazette International (2008-07-11). Retrieved on 2008-07-11.
External links
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