Modern Railways – April 2019

http://www.modern-railways.com April 2019 Modern Railways 59

line, including the creation of a new station and

improved layout at Forres (p60, October 2017 issue).

The second part of Phase One focuses attention

on the eastern end, and a blockade this summer

will usher in double-track between Aberdeen

and Inverurie. ‘This will unlock demand for the

commuter railway into Aberdeen’ points out Bill

Reeve, noting the works also facilitate new stations

at Dalcross at the Inverness end and Kintore on

the approach to Aberdeen. Subject to availability

of rolling stock, a timetable enhancement in

December will take advantage of this work, forming

the start of the so-called Aberdeen Crossrail service.

The second phase of A2I is focused more squarely

on the end-to-end railway, and seeks to provide a

faster, hourly service between the cities, involving

infrastructure enhancements on the central

section of the route. This phase will be subject to

the pipeline process, and there is no decision or

commitment at this stage, although Mr Reeve hints

that there is a clue in the title of ‘Phase One’ so it is

a logical follow-on to the work already underway.

STATIONS

Stations is a major area of focus in Scotland, with a

number of ongoing schemes, the highest profile

being the rebuilding of Glasgow Queen Street

as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement

Programme. The structure for the new concourse

facing George Square is now beginning to take

shape, and longer platforms accommodating

eight-car services over the Falkirk High route to

Edinburgh should be ready for December. The

expanded concourse area will then follow in 2020.

Coming up are refurbishment schemes

at Aberdeen, Motherwell and Stirling, while

the Scottish Government will continue

to work with partners in Edinburgh on

the masterplan for Waverley station.

On a more local level, the new station at

Robroyston, on the Glasgow to Cumbernauld

line, is being delivered by ScotRail rather than

Network Rail. Mr Reeve highlights this as an

example of Network Rail’s ‘Open for Business’

approach already happening in Scotland;

‘early indications are that it has yielded some

very useful efficiency benefits’ he reports. The

station is due to open in December this year.

The Scottish Government has a commitment

to two new stations on the East Coast main line at

Reston and East Linton to be funded during CP6,

and Mr Reeve says discussions with Network Rail

are well advanced. He also highlights the drive

for improved accessibility; ‘while this is a reserved

matter for the UK Government, whose Access for

All programme I pay tribute to, we always look

for opportunities to go further’ he says. As an

example, he notes that work on the Highland main

line to provide longer passing loops at Pitlochry

and Aviemore is being used as an opportunity

to provide full accessibility at both stations.

And on the topic of stations, a further example of

linking renewals and enhancements comes in the

Scottish Government’s approach to work at Perth.

‘The signalling and track are in need of renewal, so

we’ll be asking whether that can be a trigger for a

wider project to benefit the city’ says Mr R eeve.

ELECTRIFICATION

Unlike south of the border, Scotland has

completed all its committed electrification

schemes for CP5. This included the main

Edinburgh to Glasgow route via Falkirk, a scheme

which experienced some notable challenges,

followed by the Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa

(SDA) project and most recently the Shotts line.

‘It’s true we’ve delivered electrification

more efficiently than elsewhere, but that

doesn’t mean we’re satisfied with the level

of efficiency’ says Bill Reeve. ‘Edinburgh to

Glasgow was a year late and over budget, but

the team which delivered it learned from its

mistakes and went on successfully to deliver

the SDA project on time and within budget.’

Thus the case is made for a rolling programme

of electrification to take advantage of these

efficiency improvements, something Bill Reeve

says remains a commitment in Scotland. The

Scottish Government’s High Level Output

Specification (HLOS) for CP6 called for an efficient

Queen Street progress: the view from Glasgow’s George Square on 22 February 2019 as the cantilever trusses

go up for the roof; unseen is the steelwork to support the floor of the concourse extension. Ann Glen

Perth: there is an opportunity for a significant enhancement here during CP6. No 170408

(left) calls with the 14.40 Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness via Aberdeen as No 170473

arrives on the 15.13 Dundee to Queen Street service on 3 October 2017. Ian Lothian

058-061_MR_Apr 2019_scotland.indd 59 12/03/2019 15:05