At the beginning of this week, a new deck was lifted into place as part of a £2.9m project o retplace a bridge over the railway on a key walking route at Neilston in Scotland was lifted into place.

As Saturday is the most popular day for people to travel on trains in Scotland, the work took place on Sunday and Monday, 20 and 21 August.

Routine engineering work has traditionally been carried out on weekends and Bank Holidays as this has been the time when fewer people travel. However, the pandemic resulted in changed travel habits that have seen an increased demand on weekends.

The work required the closure of the railway line under the bridge. For the first time in Scotland, engineers worked around the clock to complete the work, working from early Sunday morning until Tuesday morning.

The work to lift the pre-cast concrete components into place required the use of a Kirow 1200 crane, the largest rail-mounted crane in the UK.

On the railway, the overhead line equipment for electric trains was disconnected from the old bridge deck while the new concrete beams were being installed and then reconnected to the new bridge so that trains could resume service on Tuesday morning.

The original bridge deck, as well as that of a disused bridge near Neilston station, had previously taken place a week earlier on 13-15 August.

Work on the bridge has required the diversion of a footpath to Balgray Reservoir, and the diversion will remain in place until November this year while work on the bridge is being completed.

Although no restrictions are in place for the Dams to Darnley car park off Balgraystone Road, a short diversionary route is in place for walkers and cyclists using the footpath to Balgray Reservoir. This diversion is fully signposted and will remain in place until November 2023.

Susan Menmuir, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “The existing concrete bridge deck was gradually deteriorating and nearing the end of its lifespan.

“Our work will extend the lifespan of the bridge, helping to keep the railway safe and reliable for years to come.

“I’d like to thank passengers and the community for their patience. I understand there’s never a good time to carry out work that disrupts passenger trains. By working on Sunday and Monday, however, we were able to minimise disruption on Saturday, which is now the busiest day for rail travel in Scotland.”