Network Rail plans £15m-plus festive engineering programme in Scotland

Network Rail is preparing more than £15 million of railway engineering works across Scotland over Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027, combining overhead electrification renewals with track replacement, vegetation clearance and infrastructure inspections.

The programme will take place at locations around Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Fife, using planned holiday possessions to provide access to equipment that would be difficult to renew while normal train services are operating. Most of the Scottish railway is expected to remain open, although passengers using affected routes will need to check their journeys.

The largest project involves the North Clyde electrified lines, which connect Helensburgh, Balloch and Milngavie with Glasgow’s west end and low-level stations. Engineers will replace ageing overhead electrical equipment used to supply trains on these routes.

The first possession is scheduled between Hyndland and Yoker from 25 to 29 December 2026. A second phase will take place between Partick and Westerton from 1 to 4 January 2027, allowing renewal activity to be organised across two separate sections of the network.

Much of the equipment on these lines is more than 65 years old and approaching the end of its intended working life. The planned work forms part of a separate three-year, £20 million programme to modernise the North Clyde overhead infrastructure during successive Christmas and New Year periods in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The £20 million North Clyde figure should not be confused with the more than £15 million allocated to the wider Scottish festive engineering programme. The former describes a multiyear electrification investment, while the latter covers work taking place at several locations during the coming holiday period.

Overhead electrification supplies traction current to trains through contact wires positioned above the railway. A pantograph mounted on the train maintains contact with the wire, allowing electricity to be transferred to the vehicle’s electrical equipment as it moves along the track.

Reliable current collection depends on the geometry, tension and condition of the contact system. Supporting structures, registration equipment and insulators must maintain appropriate wire positioning and electrical clearances, while the contact wire itself is subject to wear from repeated operation.

Ageing overhead infrastructure can require increasing maintenance as components deteriorate. Replacing equipment before failures become more frequent can reduce the need for reactive interventions, although the eventual improvement in reliability will depend on the scope and condition of the renewed system.

Work on electrified infrastructure requires controlled electrical isolation and access arrangements. Engineering teams must be able to reach the overhead equipment safely while ensuring that the railway is protected from conflicting train movements and electrical hazards during the possession.

The exact components to be replaced in each North Clyde section have not been itemised in the October programme information. Network Rail has confirmed renewal of ageing wires and associated overhead equipment, but has not published a complete schedule of support structures, fittings or electrical assets for individual worksites.

The selected Christmas possessions also create an opportunity to coordinate the removal of existing components, installation of replacements and checks needed before equipment can return to service. The time available for each activity will influence the construction sequence and the arrangements required for access, materials and engineering staff.

In Edinburgh, engineers will renew approximately 1.5 kilometres of railway track around Murrayfield and Haymarket on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The work will replace older sections of the railway, with the individual activities arranged around the available holiday access.

Track renewal can involve several connected elements, including rails, their fastening systems and the supporting track structure. The work required at a particular location depends on the condition of the existing components and the design of the replacement, rather than a standard assumption that every part of the track bed must be reconstructed.

Network Rail has confirmed the approximate renewal length but has not specified the quantities of sleepers, ballast or individual fittings to be replaced at Murrayfield and Haymarket. Those details will be determined by the project specification and construction arrangements.

Before a renewed section can return to service, its geometry and the condition of installed components must be checked against the required operating standards. These checks form part of the controlled process for handing the railway back after engineering work.

Further work is scheduled in Dundee on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, where teams will replace life-expired equipment that allows trains to move between tracks. The planned activity concerns points and associated track arrangements used to direct trains through junctions.

Points contain movable rails that guide a train towards one route or another. The equipment must move into the required position and be secured and detected correctly before a train passes, with the mechanical and control arrangements operating together as part of the railway system.

Wear or deterioration can affect the reliability of these movements, and renewal allows components that have reached the end of their service life to be replaced. Network Rail has not specified the full Dundee equipment list or confirmed a wider signalling replacement as part of the festive work.

Vegetation clearance is also planned between Dalmeny, Ladybank and the Tay Bridge on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Teams will manage growth alongside the railway, improving access and addressing vegetation that may affect infrastructure or operations.

Vegetation management requires consideration of trees, branches and other growth close to railway equipment. The work can support maintenance access and reduce risks associated with severe weather or interference with infrastructure, although the precise clearance methods and quantities have not been published.

At Glasgow Queen Street station, engineers will inspect the roof and other structures on New Year’s Day and carry out repairs where necessary. The activity has been described as inspection and maintenance rather than a predetermined replacement of the station roof.

Structural inspections assess the condition of accessible building components and identify defects requiring attention. The subsequent scope of repair depends on the condition found, making the outcome different from a renewal project whose principal components have already been selected for replacement.

Additional track work is scheduled at Finnieston in Glasgow between 3 and 4 January, involving the replacement of life-expired components. Although these dates overlap with the North Clyde electrification works, the Finnieston package is a separate maintenance activity.

The concentration of engineering work across multiple sites requires coordination between construction teams and railway operations. Equipment deliveries, access arrangements and the timing of inspections must be planned around each possession, while passenger services on unaffected parts of the network continue.

Network Rail Scotland route director Gary Hopkirk said the quieter festive period provides an opportunity to undertake substantial engineering activity that would be more disruptive during busier parts of the year. The organisation expects most routes to remain available while the scheduled work is carried out.

ScotRail has acknowledged that passengers on affected routes will experience changes to some journeys. Service information will be reflected in journey planning systems, with travellers encouraged to check arrangements before setting out and allow additional time where necessary.

The engineering programme combines the first holiday phase of a longer North Clyde electrification project with individual renewals elsewhere on Scotland’s railway. The planned activities address equipment of different ages and functions, ranging from overhead traction systems to track components and station structures.

None of the works has yet been completed. The first North Clyde possession is due to begin on 25 December, with engineering activity continuing at selected sites into 4 January 2027. Network Rail has not published a completed works report or confirmed the final operating outcome of the forthcoming programme.