Major train disruption between Edinburgh and Glasgow due to 'critical' safety works

Rail travel throughout the central belt is to be heavily disrupted for four days as safety-critical engineering works take place.

Network Rail engineers will install a specialist netting system on a rock cutting above the railway which will help to prevent potential rockfall from a cutting on the line between January 29 and February 1 meaning services will be significantly disrupted.

ScotRail advised customers that they should only travel on the following routes if their journey is essential:

Glasgow – Edinburgh via Falkirk High services will terminate at Linlithgow.
- There will be no train service between Edinburgh Waverley and Linlithgow.
- A limited number of replacement buses will be available between Linlithgow and Edinburgh Park station, with ticket acceptance in place with Edinburgh Trams for travel between Edinburgh Park and Haymarket and Waverley.
Dunblane – Edinburgh services will terminate at Falkirk Grahamston.
- There will be no train service between Edinburgh Waverley and Falkirk Grahamston.
- A limited number of replacement buses will be available between Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh Park station, with ticket acceptance in place with Edinburgh Trams for travel between Edinburgh Park and Haymarket and Waverley.
Edinburgh – Helensburgh/Milngavie services will terminate at Bathgate.
- There will be no train service between Edinburgh Waverley and Bathgate.
- A limited number of replacement buses will be available between Bathgate and Edinburgh Park, calling at Livingstone North and Uphall, with ticket acceptance in place with Edinburgh Trams for travel between Edinburgh Park and Haymarket and Waverley.
Inverness to Edinburgh services will run via Fife and will not call at Stirling.

Journey times between Linlithgow and Bathgate to/from Edinburgh will be at least 40 minutes longer via a rail replacement bus to Edinburgh Park and onward journey via Edinburgh Tram to the city centre.

There are also local bus services available. ScotRail warned that capacity may be limited and rail ticket acceptance is not in place. Customers wishing to use these services have been urged purchase tickets directly from the relevant bus operator:

McGill’s – X38 service between Stirling-Falkirk-Polmont-Linlithgow-Edinburgh.
Citylink:
- 900 service between Glasgow-Edinburgh.
- 902 service Glasgow-Livingston-Edinburgh Airport.
- 909 service Dunblane-Stirling-Edinburgh.
Lothian Country:
- X18 service between Armadale-Bathgate-Uphall-Edinburgh.
- X27 Bathgate-Livingston-Edinburgh.
- X28 Bathgate-Livingston-Edinburgh via Kirknewton.

Customers looking to travel directly between Edinburgh and Glasgow can use the following routes which depart and terminate at Glasgow Central. There will be limited additional capacity and journey times are around 30 to 50 minutes longer compared to services via Falkirk High:

Edinburgh – Glasgow via Shotts.
Edinburgh – Glasgow via Carstairs.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: “There will be significant disruption to the services ScotRail can operate between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Bathgate, Linlithgow, Stirling, and Inverness.

“ScotRail’s advice to customers travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High or via Bathgate, and between Edinburgh and Dunblane, is that you should only travel if your journey is essential.

“Customers travelling between Inverness and Edinburgh should also be aware that journey times will may be longer as those services are diverted via Fife, and will not call at Stirling.

“We understand the disruption this will cause to customers journeys, but it is essential that Network Rail carries out these works. We thank customers for their patience.”