Network Rail, based in the United Kingdom, has completed the installation of 121 new overhead electrification structures at Carstairs Junction, a village in Scotland. The structures were built as part of a project to upgrade and revitalize Carstairs Junction.
Work at the key junction on the West Coast Main Line is expected to help simplify the track layout and address network challenges. The junction is part of a phased program. The upgrades will also allow nonstop passenger and freight trains to be separated from those that stop at the station. So far, work at Carstairs has been estimated to cost more than £100 million.
The new sections of track and modern signaling deployment will greatly enhance journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh. This is in addition to accommodating the longest freight trains on the network. Over the last 18 months, a team has been working on the railway embankments near the junction. The team includes Siemens, Rail Systems Alliance, and SPL Powerlines.
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The upgrade set for Scotland’s Carstairs Junction
The project also included the installation of new overhead line masts and a signaling system. Over 3km of track renewals and 1.5km of drainage have been completed as part of the project. Furthermore, work on removing some of the redundant equipment has begun. Around 4km of new drainage and additional embankment work will be added as part of the next phase of work in 2023.
The project will also include the construction of 10km of new track. “We’re now gearing up for the final construction of the new track layout. It includes 10km of track and 27 new sets of switches and crossings. This will allow trains to move between tracks,” Network Rail program manager Jim McCleary said.
Carstairs, located 26 miles south of Glasgow on the West Coast Main Line, is a triangular junction that allows a route between Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as both Glasgow and Edinburgh to the south.
