Stirling rail links finally re-opened
Essential repairs carried out over 30,000 hours
Railway lines through Stirling reopened on Monday after an eight– day closure to carry out electrification work.
Engineering works on the Stirling – Dunblane – Alloa line saw all services through the city halted during the period.
Network Rail are in the process of electrifying the railway through Stirling, a project that also included the replacement of the Kerse Road bridge, which reopened to traffic on Friday afternoon.
More than 200 engineers worked over 30,000 hours across the week–long closure to modernise signalling systems, upgrade station platform ducting and install the overhead power equipment needed to introduce electric services through Stirling from December.
Work started on October 13 and continued around the clock with finishing touches completed at 11pm Sunday evening.
Over the eight days engineers worked from Larbert through Stirling to Alloa and Dunblane to erect 30 masts and 250 cantilevers, install five kilometres of cable ducting and run 36 kilometres of overhead wire.
Signalling systems were also upgraded and commissioned.
Electrification will see the introduction of electric class 385 trains, which, it’s said, will reduce some journey times from Stirling to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The new vehicles will offer more seats on services between Alloa, Dunblane, Bridge of Allan,
Stirling and Edinburgh and Glasgow and create less noise and better air quality for those who live and work near the railway.
During the line closure, services from Edinburgh finished at Larbert with passengers taken by bus to Stirling. Services to Edinburgh started at Falkirk Grahamston.
Stirling–bound trains from Glasgow terminated at Falkirk Grahamston while services from Stirling to Glasgow commenced at Larbert.
Bus links to Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane and Alloa were in place.
Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s delivery director for Stirling – Dunblane – Alloa electrification, said: “Electrification will transform travel across the central belt of Scotland and over this eight–day period Network Rail crews worked tirelessly to safely and successfully install the infrastructure needed to enable us to take a massive step closer to delivering electric services.
“We understand the inconvenience these works caused to some passengers and residents and we appreciate the patience they have shown while we delivered this vital element of our electrification programme.”
Commuters told of their own experiences during the line closure on the Observer’s Facebook page.
Gareth Jones posted: “Drove to the Park and Ride at Ingliston after hearing of major problems on the trains yesterday (Monday, October 15).
“Road seemed a bit busier than normal and it took me about two hours door–to–door compared with about an hour and 20 minutes on the train.”
Helen McKay added: “Was like a scene from Fawlty Towers this morning at Stirling.
“They nearly put the people wanting to go to Edinburgh on the Perth bus and then three staff were too busy chatting and laughing and that meant the bus driver left five minutes late to get to Falkirk for the train to Edinburgh, meaning we made it with a few seconds to spare.”
Hetty Margaret posted: “I was on a replacement bus service this morning to Falkirk.
“The driver told a group of passengers they could get a train to Glasgow from Falkirk Grahamston, which isn’t true.
More Scotrail’s fault than the driver but it was still pretty chaotic.”