Scottish railway improvement programme 'moves forward'

Date: 24/3/2010

A programme to improve the railway line between Edinburgh and Glasgow is well underway, Transport Scotland has confirmed.

By the end of the week, it is hoped the project to test the foundations for the electrification of the railways will be complete.

Called the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvements Programme, the £1 billion scheme is set to be the biggest rail improvement programme that Scotland has seen.

Transport minister Stewart Stevenson commented that the programme will overhaul the rail network in central Scotland.

"The completion of the pilot programme which finishes this week will determine where the overhead line infrastructure will be best located as part of the electrification of the railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow," he added.

Mr Stevenson noted that the programme is set to be completed by 2016, although the electrification trials mark an important milestone.

Earlier this month, Transport Scotland suggested a planned high-speed rail network must include Scotland and would provide significant benefits to the country.