Making Tracks: First Rails Laid On Airdrie-Bathgate Project

Scotland’s biggest new railway project in half a century began making tracks today (Monday 8 March), with the installation of the first length of rail completed on the new 15-mile Airdrie and Bathgate link by Network Rail director, Scotland, Ron McAulay along with MSPs Fiona Hyslop, Karen Whitefield and Mary Mulligan.

The tracks, laid just to the west of Bathgate station, will link with the existing Bathgate to Edinburgh and Airdrie to Glasgow lines by autumn this year, with passenger services operating by December 2010.

The track laying ceremony follows 18 months of rigorous activity clearing the route, constructing the track formation and installing new bridges, drainage and access points. Alongside the new tracks, engineers have started to install gantries which will carry the overhead lines to power the electrified trains.

The months ahead will see construction work intensify further, with the remaining bridge installations being progressed, signalling installed and new stations completed. The bulk of the track will be installed by a 170 tonne track laying machine which is expected on site in May.

The project is funded by Transport Scotland and delivered by Network Rail.

Ron McAulay, Network Rail director, Scotland commented: “The laying of the first tracks is a major milestone for our project team and we are extremely proud of the progress we have made to date. Building a railway is a major construction project and it’s easy to underestimate the vast amount of work that has to be done before we can even begin laying sleepers and rails.

“To date, our team has worked over two-and-a-half million hours and transported almost a million tons of earth and rock to develop the track bed and new cycle path, install new bridges and structures and upgrade the existing rail link between Edinburgh and Bathgate. Over the coming months there are some tough challenges still to be met but I’m confident that we are still on track to have trains operating by December 2010.”

Transport minister Stewart Stevenson said: “We are delighted to see the start of track laying on this vital Airdrie to Bathgate rail project.

“The Scottish Government is committed to Scotland's continued economic growth, especially during these difficult times. This £300m* project, which is part of the government’s unprecedented rail investment across Scotland, will open up the central belt for new businesses, helping to connect communities and improving employment and education opportunities.

“In addition to the significant employment during construction, the new rail service will create 130 permanent jobs with ScotRail and, by providing a quicker public transport alternative to roads, the Airdrie to Bathgate link will also help to reduce congestion on the M8 making Scotland a greener and more environmentally friendly place.”