ScotRail unveils £300m rail link

The project sees the reopening of a 15-mile stretch of track last used by passenger services over 50 years ago, allowing trains to run from Helensburgh on the west coast through to Edinburgh in the east. The re-established link runs from Bathgate to Airdrie, and sees three brand new stations at Armadale, Blackridge and Caldercruix, as well as a relocated station at Drumgelloch. The link creates a fourth rail route between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and allows direct services to run all the way from Helensburgh in the west, through Glasgow and onto Edinburgh, with an introductory hourly service on weekdays. It also doubles the number of weekday peak services between Bathgate and Edinburgh to four per hour. ScotRail hopes that the new link will provide a “a greener alternative to the daily car commute on the M8”, the east-west motorway serving Glasgow, Edinburgh and other Scottish towns including Airdrie, Livingstone and Paisley. However it should be noted that the three new stations on the route have not yet opened, as the recent severe weather in Scotland has prevented minor works from being completed at the stations. As a result a bus replacement service is in operation at these stations until the weather improves. For more information visit scotrail.co.uk. Report by Mark Caswell