Glasgow Queen Street
WORK to remodel Glasgow Queen Street and relay track in the tunnel immediately north of the city centre station reached the halfway mark on June 3.
“This is a massive logistical operation by Network Rail that has seen over 150,000 hours worked to date,” said Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf, on his visit to the £60 million project on June 3.
“This work is literally paving the way for Scotland’s new fleet of electric trains, which will begin to be introduced into service next year,” he added.
Since the station closed on March 20, more than 2,100 engineers have completed more than 150,000 work hours to renew the track, rebuild and lengthen platforms in the station, and alter the track layout. The station is due to re-open on August 8.
In total, NR will remove some 10,000 tonnes of existing concrete slab and install new twin-track OBB Porr Slab track. Four new sets of switches and crossings will be installed, as will new drainage, 4,000 metres of new rail and a conductor bar for electrification of the route.
NR engineers have removed more than 5,000 tonnes of concrete and rock from Queen Street tunnel, built a new 945-metre concrete base, and installed 820m of new slab-track units and 2,000m of new rail.
The first three weeks of the 20-week blockade focused on work at Cowlairs Junction, where five point ends were renewed at the south and west junctions and four point ends were refurbished at the west junction. A further 1.8 miles of plain line track was renewed.
The station will also be electrified before it re-opens, as part of the £742m Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP). Electric trains will start running between Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley at the end of 2016, with new Hitachi Class 385 electric multiple units introduced onto the route next year.
A separate scheme to remodel the concourse at Queen Street will be completed in 2019.
While the station is shut, trains are diverted to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level or Glasgow Central.
See feature, RAIL 795.