Work to refurbish and upgrade Glasgow Queen Street’s 918m long rail tunnel has been finished ahead of schedule, allowing train services to be reintroduced to the high level station.

 

The £60M ScotRail-Network Rail Alliance project involved renewing 1800m of concrete slab track and installing more than 4000m of new rails through the tunnel over a period of 20 weeks.

 

Delivered three days early, the project was carried out by engineers working on the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) in preparation for the electrification of the main line between the two cities next year. Station platforms and track layouts within Queen Street have also been extended and altered as part of the project.

 

“I am pleased to see the work on the Queen Street tunnel completed ahead of schedule and on budget,” said Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf. “This has been an unprecedented project, both in engineering terms and in the scale of the operation required to keep people moving and services diverted via the underground platforms during the works.”

 

He added: “This is a key milestone in our programme of investment for Scotland’s railways and literally paves the way for the introduction of a new generation of electric trains.”

 

ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster said: “This was a massive engineering challenge and it was only through the careful planning and professional delivery of the project team that we have been able to complete this vital investment in Scotland’s railway ahead of schedule.”

 

Works are set to continue at Glasgow Queen Street over the next three years. The station is being extended to create a new concourse and passenger facilities.

 

(Photo: Network Rail)