East Kilbride/Barrhead electrification updates

[Frankton Junct]

Stephen Menzies posted on X:

One of the big jobs here in Scotland as soon as the railway closed on Christmas Eve and throughout Christmas Day. Bridge 9 removed at Hairmyres in preparation for the electrification of the East Kilbride line.

See Bridge 9 removed



The single track railway showing one abutment removed entirely on the track side of the formation but one abutment remaining on the side without a track.

 

[snowball]

Platform 1 at Giffnock is to be renewed. Not part of the electrification project but it suggests that this will not recommence until April 2024.

https://www.networkrailmediacentre....s-gbp-1-2m-platform-works-at-giffnock-station

According to RAIL magazine #999, work started on this on 4 December. Closed until April.

 

[clc]

I have a question about future proofing for full double tracking of the line.

The Thornton Road bridge is one of three bridges being demolished over the festive period. To my untrained eye the planning documents appear to show that the replacement bridge will be wide enough for double track even though they are retaining the existing abutments: https://publicaccess.southlanarkshi...s.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=S4N13QOP01M00

Does that seem correct?

 

[MadMac]

I have a question about future proofing for full double tracking of the line.

The Thornton Road bridge is one of three bridges being demolished over the festive period. To my untrained eye the planning documents appear to show that the replacement bridge will be wide enough for double track even though they are retaining the existing abutments: https://publicaccess.southlanarkshi...s.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=S4N13QOP01M00

Does that seem correct?

It certainly looks that way, although we won’t see full double tracking: it’s only ever been single beyond Busby and double tracking throughout would involve massively expensive works.

 

[Rick1984]

Would certainly make sense to future proof

 

[snowball]

As far as I am aware all the existing overbridges would be wide enough for double tracking, if it was being done without electrification.

Until a year or two ago, the current upgrade was going to include double tracking throughout in addition to electrification.

 

[Frankton Junct]

Today, I took my New Year Day walk in the sunshine past the Thornliebank Road over bridge and on to Giffnock.

There is temporary fencing on the side of the bridge where trees were removed, looking towards where the East Kilbride branch of the Barrhead electrification ends. I haven't seen any planning applications for replacement of this bridge (a masonry arch bridge) but that might be more complicated because it seems to straddle the boundary between Glasgow City and East Renfrewshire councils.

The work on platform 1 at Giffnock appears to be only at the East Kilbride end of the platform.

 

[snowball]

Southsider has posted in the East-West Rail thread, in mistake for this one, a notice saying there will be piling for masts between Busby and just beyond Thornliebank for 11 months from 13 Jan.

 

[Southsider]

Southsider has posted in the East-West Rail thread, in mistake for this one, a notice saying there will be piling for masts between Busby and just beyond Thornliebank for 11 months from 13 Jan.

Whoops - thanks for pointing that out. Here the latest installment in a series of letters :

 

[380101]

Southsider has posted in the East-West Rail thread, in mistake for this one, a notice saying there will be piling for masts between Busby and just beyond Thornliebank for 11 months from 13 Jan.

The compound just up past Thornliebank on the line is full of a recent delivery of steel piles sitting ready.

 

[Mordac]

Is the Larkfield South Curve being electrified?

 

[OB23Gone]

Is the Larkfield South Curve being electrified?

Apparently not as part of these works

 

[snowball]

Is the Larkfield South Curve being electrified?

It was in the scheme at one time but apparently dropped, as discussed a long way upthread.

 

[sannox]

Is the Larkfield South Curve being electrified?

As others have said it has been dropped for the moment. I think it requires a bit of engineering work to do, mainly due to 3 bridges on route and I guess the sums no longer add up given it's mostly ECS workings and diversions which can be bussed.

 

[snowball]

As others have said it has been dropped for the moment. I think it requires a bit of engineering work to do, mainly due to 3 bridges on route and I guess the sums no longer add up given it's mostly ECS workings and diversions which can be bussed.

There's a link somewhere in the thread to a document which looked at the three bridges and decided that the tracks would be lowered under them and by how much at each one.

 

[Southsider]

I was checking on diversions for some local roadworks and came across this. The same details apply to the bridge at Strawhill road.

 

[snowball]

At first I thought that pretty pessimistic - 4 years to complete the bridges! The whole project is supposed to be complete by the end of next year. Then I saw that the earliest start date it mentions is 2020!

 

[d9009alycidon]

Heavy lifting equipment currently employed at Thorntonhall Road Bridge lifting the new concrete sections into place.

 

[OB23Gone]

Robslee Dr. Compound, near Thornliebank Station, sees 2 Piling machines and Trailers arrived. There is also a RR Vactor present so works most certainly gearing up. Read that £2m have bee shaved of the new Hairmyres Station Car Park

 

[MadMac]

Robslee Dr. Compound, near Thornliebank Station, sees 2 Piling machines and Trailers arrived. There is also a RR Vactor present so works most certainly gearing up. Read that £2m have bee shaved of the new Hairmyres Station Car Park

That's the old Burnfield Briquette Works which was rail-connected well into the 80s.

 

[Southsider]

Platform extension works at Giffnock. I don’t recall the discrepancy in platform height in the second picture, possible that a layer of decking has been removed.

 

[66C]

Is this just a platform extension or is the start of a track lower for one of the bridges?

 

[59CosG95]

Platform extension works at Giffnock. I don’t recall the discrepancy in platform height in the second picture, possible that a layer of decking has been removed.

View attachment 150667
View attachment 150668

I think they have indeed removed something - from that angle, it looks like they've taken out the old copers, tactile paving and both the binder and surface courses of the tarmac as well. Seems likely that the original platform slabs are to be removed and replaced with a modern, uniform slab (or set of slabs) throughout.

 

[Southsider]

Is this just a platform extension or is the start of a track lower for one of the bridges?

Just a platform extension, no troublesome bridges in this location except perhaps the station footbridge.

 

[66C]

The footbridge will be replaced at some point

 

[snowball]

In post #1654 of this thread, @clc mentioned that in post #793 of another thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...updates-discussion.90420/page-27#post-2537819), @Altnabreac listed the overbridges on the route. That list was posted almost 8 years ago, and this post is my attempt to update it.

As the Barrhead line has been completed, I've included only bridges between Busby Junction and EK. Altnabreac had 24 of those; I've found two more that he seems to have missed, numbers 14 and 22 in my list below. However, number 21 was demolished a year ago and number 16 this last Christmas; number 22 was apparently replaced at the same time and number 17 is currently being rebuilt.

Please post if you find any errors or omissions. I hope to keep the list up to date as work progresses.

Where a bridge might be known by more than one name (e.g. road name and road number), I've tried to include all I've heard of.

Altnabreac marked five bridges (four on the EK line) with asterisks because he thought they would be difficult: numbers 7, 13, 15 and 17.

I've tried to include the type of each bridge; there are probably errors there. "Modern" means a bridge apparently built in recent decades with a flat soffit (the underside of the deck) in contrast to the arched bridges dating from the original construction of the line. These may require nothing more than raised parapets.

Times in minutes and seconds refer to the time in the video (not mine) in post #1609 at which the bridge can be glimpsed. No times given between Hairmyres and EK as the filmer was not pointing the camera out of the nearest window.

------------------------------------

(Busby Junction 12:30)
(Line is double track from there to just after Busby station)

1. Thornliebank Road B769, 13:20, arched
Roadworks Scotland says deck to be replaced taking 309 working days, starting between April and July 2024. I guess this will include #2 also.

Network Rail press releases 23 Feb 2024 19 Mar 2024

2. Thornliebank Road footbridge, 13:22, steel add-on

(Thornliebank station)

3. Burnfield Road, 15:40, arched
Roadworks Scotland says only parapet modifications required, 10 working days, starting Jul-Oct 2024

4. Fenwick Road A77, 16:05, possibly an originally arched bridge with road subsequently widened?
Roadworks Scotland says only parapet modifications required, 45 working days, May-Jul 2024

5. Giffnock station footbridge, 16:31, lattice
Roadworks Scotland says 249 working days closure of nearby Forres Avenue starting Jun-Sep 2024

6. Church Road, 18:31, apppears arched when seen from the south but not north
Roadworks Scotland says only parapet works required, 30 working days starting April-June 2024

7. Clarkston Road B767 (shown as Stamperland Crescent on some maps), 19:54, arched
Roadworks Scotland has two entries, one of which says 1044 working days required, starting between Jul m2020 and Jul 2025!! There are reports in mid-March 2024 that the bridge will need only parapet works and track lowering.

8. Clarkston Toll footbridge, 19:57, flat steel deck

9. Clarkston station footbridge, 20:22 - 21:30, lattice
Roadworks Scotland shows 120 working days of traffic management on nearby Clarkston Road to place a crane, starting Feb-May 2025

10. Strawhill Road footbridge, 21:46, steel add-on

11. Strawhill Road, 21:49, arched
Roadworks Scotland shows 1044 working days refurb/reconstruction starting between Jul 2020 and Jul 2025. I guess this will include #10 also.

(Not an overbridge but Roadworks Scotland shows 39 working days road closure to replace deck bridge over East Kilbride Road A727)

12. Busby station footbridge, 23:15, lattice

(line becomes single track just after station)

13. Westerton Lane, 25:06, arched
Roadworks Scotland shows 171 working days closure to replace deck starting Jun-Sep 2024

14. Access bridge for Busby 275 kV substation, 25:33, arched
(substation is a National Grid facility, not used to feed the railway)

15. Peel Road, 26:31, arched
Roadworks Scotland refers to bridge renewal project, no details yet, site investigation Feb 2024

(Thorntonhall station)

Press release 7 Dec 2023 on bridges 16, 17 and 22

16. Thornton Farm accommodation overbridge (demolished Christmas 2023, no replacement proposed; called Bridge 9 in a tweet), 28:31, not arched

17. Thornton Road (reconstructed on existing abutments Dec 2023-April 2024; I think it was mistakenly called Thorntonhall Road in #1818), 29:04, arched. Reopened 22 April 2024. Press release

18. A726 Glasgow Southern Orbital, 29:11, modern

19. Millbrae accommodation overbridge, 29:29, arched

(Proposed western end of extension of Hairmyres loop appears to be here)

20. Redwood Drive, 29:39, modern

21. Bypassed road (Barbana Road?), 29:42 (demolished Jan 2023, no replacement proposed)

(proposed relocated Hairmyres station)

22. Eaglesham Court footbridge, 30:12 (replaced Christmas 2023; Roadworks Scotland says footpath closed for 49 working days. New bridge reported completed 1 March 2024; press release 4 March)

(existing Hairmyres station)

23. Tennant Avenue footbridge
(the existing Hairmyres passing loop starts immediately after this bridge)

24. Queensway A726, modern

25. Kirktonholme Road, modern
(the existing Hairmyres passing loop ends immediately before this bridge)

26. Strathfillan Road, modern

(East Kilbride station)

 

[Southsider]

In post #1654 of this thread, @clc mentioned that in post #793 of another thread (https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...updates-discussion.90420/page-27#post-2537819), @Altnabreac listed the overbridges on the route. That list was posted almost 8 years ago, and this post is my attempt to update it.

As the Barrhead line has been completed, I've included only bridges between Busby Junction and EK. Altnabreac had 24 of those; I've found two more that he seems to have missed, numbers 14 and 22 in my list below. However, number 21 was demolished a year ago and number 16 this last Christmas; number 22 was apparently replaced at the same time and number 17 is currently being rebuilt.

Please post if you find any errors or omissions. I hope to keep the list up to date as work progresses.

Where a bridge might be known by more than one name (e.g. road name and road number), I've tried to include all I've heard of.

Altnabreac marked five bridges (four on the EK line) with asterisks because he thought they would be difficult: numbers 7, 13, 15 and 17.

I've tried to include the type of each bridge; there are probably errors there. "Modern" means a bridge apparently built in recent decades with a flat soffit (the underside of the deck) in contrast to the arched bridges dating from the original construction of the line. These may require nothing more than raised parapets.

Times in minutes and seconds refer to the time in the video (not mine) in post #1609 at which the bridge can be glimpsed. No times given between Hairmyres and EK as the filmer was not pointing the camera out of the nearest window.

------------------------------------

(Busby Junction 12:30)
(Line is double track from there to just after Busby station)

1. Thornliebank Road B769, 13:20, arched

2. Thornliebank Road footbridge, 13:22, steel add-on

(Thornliebank station)

3. Burnfield Road, 15:40, arched

4. Fenwick Road A77, 16:05, possibly an originally arched bridge with road subsequently widened?

5. Giffnock station footbridge, 16:31, lattice

6. Church Road, 18:31, arched

7. Clarkston Road B767 (shown as Stamperland Crescent on some maps), 19:54, arched

8. Clarkston Toll footbridge, 19:57, flat steel deck

9. Clarkston station footbridge, 20:22 - 21:30, lattice

10. Strawhill Road footbridge, 21:46, steel add-on

11. Strawhill Road, 21:49, arched

12. Busby station footbridge, 23:15, lattice

(line becomes single track just after station)

13. Westerton Lane, 25:06, arched

14. Access bridge for Busby 275 kV substation, 25:33, arched
(substation is a National Grid facility, not used to feed the railway)

15. Peel Road, 26:31, arched

(Thorntonhall station)

16. Thornton Farm accommodation overbridge (demolished Christmas 2023, no replacement proposed; called Bridge 9 in a tweet), 28:31, not arched

17. Thornton Road (being reconstructed on existing abutments Dec 2023-April 2024; I think it was mistakenly called Thorntonhall Road in #1818), 29:04, arched

18. A726 Glasgow Southern Orbital, 29:11, modern

19. Millbrae accommodation overbridge, 29:29, arched

(Proposed western end of extension of Hairmyres loop appears to be here)

20. Redwood Drive, 29:39, modern

21. Bypassed road (Barbana Road?), 29:42 (demolished Jan 2023, no replacement proposed)

(proposed relocated Hairmyres station)

22. Eaglesham Court footbridge, 30:12 (replaced Christmas 2023)

(existing Hairmyres station)

23. Tennant Avenue footbridge
(the existing Hairmyres passing loop starts immediately after this bridge)

24. Queensway A726, modern

25. Kirktonholme Road, modern
(the existing Hairmyres passing loop ends immediately before this bridge)

26. Strathfillan Road, modern

(East Kilbride station)

From memory Church Road isn’t arched

 

[clc]

From memory Church Road isn’t arched

Just had a look on Google. Strangely the south facing side of the bridge is arched but the north facing side isn’t.

 

[snowball]

Just had a look on Google. Strangely the south facing side of the bridge is arched but the north facing side isn’t.

Bing bird's-eye view confirms! Have edited it.

 

[Southsider]

Bing bird's-eye view confirms! Have edited it.

If you follow the railway on the roadworks website and click on the road closure icons it gives details of the planned activity. Surprisingly (for me at least) it includes replacing the underbridge at Busby station.

Details for Church Road : Road closure to facilitate bridge parapet modification works. Works will include installation of scaffolding, removal & reinstatement of masonry and removal & reinstatement of network rail fencing

Scottish Road Works Online

www.roadworksscotland.org

edit : you need to set date filters to cover the period 2022-2026