Significant rail disruption north of Edinburgh in late July is expected as major engineering work by Network Rail aims to improve service reliability.
Track work estimated at ”4m ($7.9m) will require a seven-day suspension of passenger services through Inverkeithing station and across the Forth Bridge, between Monday, 23 July and Sunday, 29 July, with normal services resuming on Monday, 30 July.
Complete renewal of major points and improvement to track geometry, will run in tandem with work in the North Queensferry tunnel to improve drainage in bad weather. Inclement weather work is expected to total ”18m in Scotland.
”There is a huge amount of work involved in this upgrade and it will mean disruption to train services, but we have done everything possible to reduce the inconvenience to passengers,” said Network Rail route director, David Simpson.
”We have worked closely with First ScotRail, GNER and Virgin Trains for a year to plan the work and arrange replacement bus services between Fife and Edinburgh. This investment at Inverkeithing is essential to accommodate the predicted growth in rail transport in Fife.”
The engineering work will mean a major mobilisation of buses between Inverkeithing and Edinburgh, with passengers advised to prepare for longer journeys. A full timetable of revised train and replacement bus services will be announced in June.
Virgin Cross-Country and GNER services north of Edinburgh will also be affected, while First ScotRail trains to and from Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, will be diverted via Stirling. Some services between Edinburgh and Perth, that continue to Inverness, will also divert via Stirling or be replaced by buses.
Network Rail also says that rail engineering work during the Spring bank holiday (26-29 May), will affect several Virgin West Coast and Cross-Country services. Coach shuttle services will replace trains for part of some services, while other rail journeys will be diverted.