Far north line to benefit from Network Rail Scotland funding boost
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THE far north line is to benefit from a funding boost by Network Rail Scotland to improve performance in the Highlands and the north-east.
The investment of £4.5m is being made in addition to regular maintenance budgets and will target specific projects to prevent infrastructure faults, or reduce the time it takes to fix faults when they do occur.
The plan will see extra money spent across the north-east and Highlands this financial year, including on the Highland main line, the east coast main line and the Aberdeen to Inverness line, as well as the far north.
Additional staff will be recruited across Network Rail’s depots in Perth and Inverness and new machinery and equipment deployed to these locations.
As part of the plan, Network Rail Scotland will also renew or upgrade signalling systems, deliver additional track maintenance, increase lineside vegetation clearance and invest in remote monitoring systems to spot potential faults.
Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “We are working hard across Scotland to drive up our performance and deliver the reliable railway our customers deserve.
“Punctuality across the country is improving and our maintenance teams in the north-east and Highlands are working hard to reduce disruption as much as possible.
“This additional investment will be targeted at a range of initiatives which we believe will help to complement the extensive renewal and refurbishment work we already have planned – driving down delays and improving reliability.”
A similar £5m plan delivered in the Glasgow area last year saw a 30 per cent improvement in the reliability of rail infrastructure.
Across Scotland as a whole this year, Network Rail has improved the reliability of its infrastructure by 26 per cent compared with the last financial year and it will be investing over £4bn over the next five years.
