Rail bridge works are kept on track at hols
Height clearing structure to comply with safety rules
Works to increase the height of a footbridge at Stirling Railway Station have been ongoing this week.
Network Rail say engineers are on-site to ‘height clear’ the structure between platforms two and three as part of the electrification of the Stirling-DunblaneAlloa (SDA) line.
The project got underway on Christmas Eve and is expected to finish up today (Wednesday).
Rail bosses say they need to increase the distance between the tracks and the underside of the bridge deck by 35 centimetres to comply with safety standards for the electrified railway.
Workers used hydraulic jacks on platforms two and three to lift the 12-metre bridge deck off the supporting columns before inserting pre-fabricated stools on top of the columns to raise the height of the deck.
The bridge will then be lowered back on to the newly raised foundations.
An additional two steps will be included in the staircase as a result and the exits from the lifts will slope gently towards the raised deck to meet accessibility standards.
The Observer reported on Friday that Network Rail was working on a number of projects in the area over the festive period while the tracks are quiet.
A series of bolts will be drilled into the roof at the Kippenross Tunnel near Dunblane in preparation for a ‘conductor bar’ electrification system.
This work took place during a 54-hour period at Christmas and will continue for a 29-hour stretch at new year while trains are not running on the network.
In addition a series of masts will be installed on the track between Falkirk and Larbert between Hogmanay and the morning of Tuesday, January 2.
Iain McFarlane, route delivery director at Network Rail, said: “While we appreciate it is inconvenient for some, delivering working over the festive period means we disrupt less journeys as fewer people are travelling on the railway at this time of year.
“Having longer periods of time to work on the track continuously enables us to do more work more efficiently and push ahead with some critical elements in the delivery of the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa electrification works.
“While we apologise for any disturbance caused as a result of these works, we would also like to thank our lineside neighbours for their continued patience as we deliver this important investment in Scotland’s railway infrastructure.”
As part of the project the Kerse Road bridge in Stirling will close to traffic for a six month period from April to allow for the demolition and reconstruction of the road bridge over the railway.
The electrification of the line, which is part of a Scottish Government investment being delivered by Network Rail, will see journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh reduced and capacity on peak services increased. More modern, greener trains will also be introduced.