The five years from 2019 could feature more wiring in Scotland, with ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Alex Hynes telling RAIL: “I’d love to see more electrification - Stirling to Perth, East Kilbride and the Edinburgh South Suburban.”
Hynes acknowledged that the East Coast Main Line would need work to increase its capacity, as more operators plan trains to and from Scotland.
This includes TransPennine Express, which plans to extend trains beyond Newcastle to Edinburgh, and First, which is planning an open access operation between London and Edinburgh. In addition, Transport Scotland is looking to open new stations in East Lothian at Reston and East Linton, which Hynes acknowledged would need services.
Hynes said that signalling east of Edinburgh Waverley was due to be renewed in Control Period 6 (2019-24), and that this work would need co-ordinating with other work to upgrade track and overhead power capacity.
He explained that Transport Scotland was putting Network Rail under pressure to develop business cases for schemes that it could then fund.
- For the FULL story, read RAIL 858, published on August 1, and available now on Android/iPad.
- For the FULL story on the launch of the Class 385s, read RAIL 858, published on August 1, and available now on Android/iPad.
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Rich Dodd - 31/07/2018 15:13
I fully appalled Scotland for forward future planning this leaves a massive embarrassing gap in the midlands and north of the country downrated to lower than a third rate country where even they are electrifying their lines!
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AndrewJG8918 - 01/08/2018 01:48
In that case then why not electrify other lines in Scotland including the Borderland Line to Tweedbank and to allow Class 385's & Class 380's to operate between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. And to transfer the Class 158's to the Highlands so that they can operate up north in Scotland.
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