The next stage of power supply enhancements is underway and will support Scotlands Railway’s electrified rail network

The programme of work comes as part of the Scottish Government’s £120m investment to increase both the resilience and capacity of its network.

Network Rail and Scottish Powerlines (SPL) engineering teams will install a new modular feeder station alongside upgrading a vital track section cabinet close to Glasgow Central station which aids the regulation of the power supply.

A vital part of the upgrade work will be the reconfiguration of power supplies which will provide for the increase in demand as electric trains are introduced on the lines between Glasgow and Barrhead and East Kilbridge.

Alice Wilson, scheme project manager for traction power at Network Rail, said:“ The £120m Scottish Government investment to upgrade the electric power supply into the rail network is key to helping us meet our target to decarbonise Scotland’s Railway by 2035.

“This work will power the cleaner, greener electric trains on the Glasgow- Barrhead and East Kilbride lines in the coming years. This directly supports decarbonising passenger services on Scotland’s Railway by 2035 and delivering the modal shift required for Scotland to reach Net Zero.

“Working on Glasgow’s electrified rail network is always challenging but our industry partners have worked with us to plan, design and deliver the work in a way that reduces risk, minimises disruption and helps us to move forward with our plans to decarbonise the network.”

The vital work will see the substation put in place will take place with no disruptions for either passenger or freight services.

The £120m traction power investment is advancing well and saw the Ferguslie feeder station in Paisley installed during July 2022 and is set to enter service during the early part of 2023.

The Ferguslie feeder station also saw a visit from Scottish Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth in August 2022.

The first stage of the investment will see six brand new feeder stations alongside nine upgrades to traction power infrastructure locations throughout the central belt, Scottish Borders and Fife.

The work taking place for the power supply network will continue and is expected to complete in 2026. The huge investment will bring improved resilience to the current network alongside new connections to the national grid via the feeder stations bringing increased overall capability for the 25kV electrified network.

The power supply enhancement for the network will mean that electric trains can be introduced for services operating to East Kilbridge and Barrhead, on the Borders line and across Fife as well as supporting greater numbers of traffic on routes such as the East Coast Mainline.