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East Kilbride/Barrhead electrification updates

Glaswegian

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30 Sep 2021
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19
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Falkirk
Are you talking about recently electrified lines or ones done in the past? Recently done lines seem to have lots of TTCs.
I have looked at the very recently electrified Barrhead line. It does indeed have more twin track cantilevers than I expected. But there seem to be special reasons for many of them; for instance they are common at stations. It must surely be possible to have a twin track cantilever almost everywhere there are in fact two single track cantilevers, so I still believe that a pair of single track cantilevers is the preferred option, or was so until recently, but I may be wrong.
 
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Southsider

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Going by the noise in the distance overnight, there was piling between Clarkston and Busby. They’re certainly pressing on with it.
 

snowball

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4 Mar 2013
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Leeds
A new press release


Major works on Thornliebank Road bridge will begin early next month as part of a project to electrify the East Kilbride to Glasgow railway corridor.

The bridge, which crosses the railway near Thornliebank station, is being demolished and reconstructed over a 14-month period, from Tuesday 2 April until June 2025.

During this time, vehicles are being diverted via Thornliebank Road, Rouken Glen Road, Fenwick Road, Kilmarnock Road and Nether Auldhouse Road (and vice versa).

First Bus is operating a diversion for the 57 and 57A services throughout the works, with full details available at firstbus.co.uk/greater-glasgow.

This £5.5m programme of work is being delivered by Network Rail and its contractor Story and is part of a wider £140m investment in the East Kilbride Enhancement project.

Engineers will create the required clearance height to allow the new overhead line equipment to run underneath the bridge so electric trains can run on the line, as well as installing a new and improved road surface.

Over the coming months until September, the first phase involves diverting a number of service utilities from the existing structure onto a temporary footbridge that is being installed towards the end of April.

Following completion of the utilities diversion, the road bridge will be demolished, from 27 to 30 September, and then the reconstruction work will begin.

Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained, and train services at the station will operate as normal – with the exception being the weekend of the bridge demolition.

Simon Humble, project manager, Network Rail, said: “Thornliebank Road bridge represents the largest civils structure on the East Kilbride Enhancement project and is a significant undertaking.

“Although the first phase is a labour intensive period of diverting a number of utilities from the bridge, including fibre optic, water and gas, it allows a substantial part of the work to be delivered during the day.

“When we start the construction phase later this year, this involves more complex engineering – some of which can only be done overnight when no trains are running, and we will update the community in advance of this.

“While we do appreciate the inconvenience of having to close the bridge, it is the only way we can deliver this part of the project and we would encourage everyone to add in some extra travel time.”

Shops and businesses on Thornliebank Main Street and in the surrounding area are open as usual during the works.

The new bridge has been designed in collaboration with East Renfrewshire Council’s active travel team to include enough space for a segregated cycle lane to be introduced in the future.

To find out more on the East Kilbride Enhancement project email [email protected] or call the Network Rail helpline on 03457 11 41 41. For the latest information and updates as the project progresses, follow on X (Twitter) @NetworkRailScot or visit www.scotlandsrailway.com.

Notes to Editors

The East Kilbride Enhancement project is part of a wider £140m investment at the centre of the Scottish Government’s ongoing strategy to decarbonise Scotland’s Railway.

Large numbers of passenger and freight journeys are already made on electrified routes in Scotland. By converting the remainder of the diesel-powered railway network to being powered by electricity and low carbon sources, this will result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, generating an even greener railway – with East Kilbride Enhancement project representing the current phase of the wider decarbonisation programme.

Some interesting snippets there:

Actual demolition of the old bridge is 27 to 30 September

This is the biggest bridge job on the project

“Although the first phase is a labour intensive period of diverting a number of utilities from the bridge, including fibre optic, water and gas, it allows a substantial part of the work to be delivered during the day.

“When we start the construction phase later this year, this involves more complex engineering – some of which can only be done overnight when no trains are running, and we will update the community in advance of this."
 
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MadMac

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13 Jun 2008
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Moorpark, CA
Given that Clarkston Toll is no longer a problem rebuilding wise, what’s the biggest problem bridge now other than Thornliebank? Thorntonhall?

post #1692 gives a heads up on the line closure to come in 2025 along the route from Busby jncn to EK station.

This will include no services running to/from East Kilbride for 16 weeks from 01/02/25 to 24/05/25 then another 4 weeks closure from 02/08/25 to 30/08/25. Between those two main periods there will also be successive Sunday closures across the summer.

I'm not sure the options put forward by the project team, a few years ago, about how to deliver these works included such a sustained period of withdrawn rail services. The alternative during the 16 week closure will offer passengers a much poorer, longer road journey during a time of poor weather.
Disclaimer: I lived in, and commuted from, EK for 17 years, so I’m familiar with the potential for very poor winter weather there. When I first saw this, I wondered if someone had lost their mind trying to do major work there in February and March. I’m not seeing why a blockade of that length is necessary.
 
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Southsider

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10 Aug 2015
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750
I was crossing Strawhill Road bridge this morning and could see lots of single track cantilever masts heading in the direction of Busby. Will get some photos next time I’m on foot.

Looking south from Strawhill Road, Clarkston station behind me.

Edit :

Two large, poured foundations and masts heading towards Busby.

IMG_0246.jpeg
 
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59CosG95

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18 Aug 2013
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Between Peterborough & Bedlington
I was crossing Strawhill Road bridge this morning and could see lots of single track cantilever masts heading in the direction of Busby. Will get some photos next time I’m on foot.

Looking south from Strawhill Road, Clarkston station behind me.

Edit :

Two large, poured foundations and masts heading towards Busby.

View attachment 154736
Lovely to see tangible signs of progress at last on this. Looks like the 2no. concrete foundations are for SSAs (Simply Supported Anchors), also known as "wicketkeepers" in this parish; I can see another pair of SSAs in the background which leads me to believe that the 2no. STCs closest to the camera are mid-points.
The tie wires for the mid-point cantilevers will come from the SSAs in the background and the foreground, once the foreground masts are in, as per this rather crude annotation of your photo (new masts in red, tie wires in blue):
IMG_0246.jpeg
 

Southsider

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10 Aug 2015
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750
Some more shots, this time from the Giffnock area.

Masts for what I assume will be twin track cantilevers on the embankment between Church Road and Sutherland Drive bridges.

IMG_0248.jpeg

Large mast and cantilever at the end of the Giffnock platform extension.

IMG_0249.jpeg

Giffnock platform extension.

IMG_0250.jpeg

Giffnock platform renewal.

IMG_0251.jpeg

Preformed blocks for platform construction.

IMG_0252.jpeg
 

Charged up

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22 Oct 2023
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South Lanarkshire
Looking north at works ongoing at the site of the new Hairmyres station earlier this evening. View attachment 155032
Thanks for the photograph and it's good to see the new site progressing. This will make a massive difference to accessing the railway from the wider East Kilbride/ Jackton/ Eaglesham area as well as free up much needed parking capacity at the hospital car park by removing rail users.

I'm still puzzled why it will take until December 2025 for it to be fully opened and surely some interim solution [new single platform and bus interchange facility] could be delivered by spring 2025 whilst the remainder of the new station/ car park on north side is completed?
 

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