Trees face chop near rail tracks

Work to last four months

People who live near railway tracks are set for four months of disturbance.

Network Rail will begin tree removal along the Stirling to Dunblane line from next weekend. And the clearance will run until the end of March.

The works are being carried out for safety reasons but householders have been warned that they could create noise.

Weekend works, which run from 11.30pm to 9am on Saturdays and Sundays, will start next weekend (November 26), until Match 27.

Nighttime maintenance from 11.30pm to 4.30am is also planned for the same period.

Some daytime works are being conducted from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, with up to 10 metres of vegetation being cut back.

Volunteers clearing giant hogweed from growing alongside the Allan and Forth rivers in Stirling and Dunblane have been alarmed at the spread of the invasive plant along rail embankments and called on Network Rail to clear it.

Network Rail senior communications manager Dave Boyce said: “We will be removing any potentially dangerous lineside trees and plants, prioritising areas that pose a significant safety risk and carrying out ground investigation works.

“At specific locations we will be cutting back up to a 10 metre clearance. This work will be noisy and will change the physical appearance of the railway.”

The organisation has said that trees and shrubs growing on embankments can obscure signals, get blown onto tracks, or leave staff without a safe enough area to wait while trains pass.

Managers say the majority of the works will be carried out when trains are not running and insist staff will attempt to keep noise to a minimum.

Anyone who has questions on the works can contact Network Rail on 03457114141 or visit www.networkrail.co.uk/ contactus