WORK to lay foundations that will pave the way for the electrification of the Fife Circle is about to get underway.
The £55million Scottish Government investment in the line between Haymarket and Dalmeny will see the railway transformed to accommodate quieter, more environmentally friendly electric trains.
The first phase of work between Haymarket and Dalmeny will see Network Rail pile the foundations for masts that will carry overhead wires up to the Forth Bridge. In total it will see 25 single track kilometres (STKs) of railway electrified by December 2024.
Subsequent phases of work will see “partial” electrification of lines in Fife – totalling a further 104 STKs, to allow the introduction of Battery Electric Multiple Units to replace life-expired diesel units which will be phased out.
Contractors, Scottish Powerlines, will shortly begin on-site activities between Haymarket and Dalmeny – including piling and constructing steelwork foundations to support overhead power masts.
Electrification from Edinburgh into Fife represents the next phase of the rolling programme of electrification and part of the Scottish Government’s wider programme of decarbonisation which will build a greener railway.
Scottish Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “It’s great news that the first phase of the Fife electrification project is getting underway as this will make a significant difference to passenger and freight services in the future. Delivery of the Fife electrification project will support introduction of new rolling stock through partial electrification of the route.
“It will also help towards the delivery of our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan which will see removal of all diesel trains on passenger services by 2035.
Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “The government has set an ambitious target to decarbonise our railway and projects such as the electrification of the Fife Circle will be key to delivering on that commitment.”
