Sinkhole sees railway line shut for week

The Ai rdr i e to Bathgate railway line at Caldercruix was closed for more than a week as engineers repaired sinkhole damage.

The sinkhole was discovered by track engineers on April 21 and the line was closed to allow investigation work to be undertaken.

The line was shut until Monday, April 29, due to the potentially complex nature of the repairs needed to the railway.

Network Rail and its contractors worked to establish the sinkhole’s size and depth, and the presence of an underground spring was looked at as a potential cause.

Once investigations were completed, engineers were able to put together a repair plan.

During the closure, Scotrail services between Helensburgh Central and Edinburgh Waverley terminated at Airdrie.

A replacement bus service connected Airdrie and Bathgate, calling at all intermediate stations, with a train shuttle service running between Bathgate and Edinburgh Waverley.

Trains between Airdrie and Balloch were not affected.

Ross Moran, interim route director for Network Rail Scotland, told the Advertiser: “Sinkholes like this are very unusual on the railway, and our specialist geotechnical engineers worked tirelessly to identify the cause, as well as plan the repairs, so we could reopen the railway.

“We understand the inconvenience this incident caused for passengers, and I’d like to thank those who travelled on this route for their patience and understanding while work continues.”

Phil Campbell, Scotrail customer operations director, said: “We did everything we could to keep our customers moving while this issue was resolved.”

Passengers can check their journey online via nationalrail.co.uk or Scotrail.co.uk

Repair plan The sinkhole was discovered by track engineers on April 21