‘Two-month’ repair estimate for capital line

NETWORK Rail’s repairs team have been working to repair flood damage caused on the main EdinburghGlasgow line after extreme weather last week.

Engineers have now fully inspected the 300m section of damaged tracks, after the flood water subsided.

Initial assessments indicate that it could take up to two months to reinstate the line to its normal condition – although engineers will continue to investigate the extent of the damage before confirming a final estimate for restoring service.

The force of thousands of gallons of water flowing from the breached canal bank has completely washed away sections of track and undermined embankments.

The power of the flooding water also undermined and washed away overhead electrification masts and damaged others and left dozens of uprooted trees strewn across the tracks.

The canal water at the line near Polmont has also contaminated more than a kilometre of track and ballast which will need to be replaced.

The rainfall last week caused a 30-metre section of the Union canal to breach and cascade down the slope – in turn flooding the railways between Polmont and Bo’ness on the main EdinburghGlasgow route.

With the team on-site liaising with Scottish Canals, the priority was initially to secure the canal in order to stop the flooding – which was achieved last Friday.

Inspections over the weekend revealed the scale and extent of the damage which has prompted the warning to passengers of ongoing disruption on the line for some time.

Passengers seeking to travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow/Dunblane are being advised to contact ScotRail for details on alternative transport routes and bus replacements.