A major phase of work to prepare the railway in Fife for electrification begins this weekend. It forms part of the Scottish Government’s £311.5m investment to electrify 118km of line, reduce reliance on diesel trains and support Scotland’s net zero ambitions.
A major phase of work to prepare the railway in Fife for electrification begins on Saturday 10 October, with line closures and changes to train services in place while teams carry out some of the most complex parts of the project.
Over 18 days, teams will rebuild bridges, make changes to the track and upgrade signalling equipment. The work forms part of the Scottish Government’s £311.5m investment to electrify 118km of railway in Fife and introduce battery-electric trains.
Bridges rebuilt to make space for overhead line equipment
Before overhead power lines can be installed, parts of the railway need to be altered to create the space needed for the new equipment. During this phase, bridges at Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy, Muriespot near Coaltown of Balgonie and Main Street in Thornton will be demolished and rebuilt, while the bridge at Cardenden Road in Cardenden will be upgraded.
Teams will also continue installing foundations for the masts alongside the track that will support the overhead wires, and carry out further track and signalling improvements.
This is a really significant stage of the project and an opportunity to complete a substantial amount of work in a relatively short space of time.”
Changes to train services during the closures
To allow the work to be carried out safely, temporary changes to services will be in place. From Saturday 10 to Friday 23 October, no trains will run via Kirkcaldy. Some CrossCountry, LNER and ScotRail services will be revised and rail replacement buses will operate.
From Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 October, buses will replace ScotRail trains between Cowdenbeath and Leven. Full details are available on the ScotRail website.
Michael McArthur, project manager at Network Rail, said: “This is a really significant stage of the project and an opportunity to complete a substantial amount of work in a relatively short space of time.
“Teams have spent months preparing for this closure, carefully planning every activity to make the best possible use of the time available. By the end of these 18 days, we’ll have completed some of the largest and most important pieces of work needed to prepare the railway for the future.”
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We’ll keep people moving wherever possible, with trains running on alternative routes and replacement buses serving impacted stations.”
He added: “The travel arrangements change at different stages throughout the works, so we’re asking customers to check their journey before setting off and allow some extra time to travel.”
Main Street in Thornton will also close from Monday 19 October 2026 until 31 March 2027 to allow for bridge work, according to Fife Council.
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