Scotland: Major Work Begins to Electrify Borders Railway

Network Rail has announced that it will begin the first stage of electrification on the Borders Railway on Saturday 21 February.

Engineers will begin preparatory work ahead of piling on sections of the route set to be electrified between Newcraighall and Shawfair, and from Bowshank Tunnel to Tweedbank station.

The work follows the Scottish Government’s announcement of a 342 million GBP investment to electrify routes in both Fife and the Borders, as well as introduce a fleet of new battery-electric trains.

Piling work, which involves the driving of foundations into the ground to support masts and cantilevers that will carry the future overhead line equipment and enable electric trains to run, must be carried out when trains aren’t running. To allow Network Rail to complete the work, three weekend line closures have been scheduled in March:

• Saturday 14 – Monday 16 March
• Saturday 21 – Monday 23 March
• Saturday 28 – Monday 30 March

During these weekend periods, buses will replace trains for any and all affected services.

Lynsey Maclean, scheme project manager at Network Rail Scotland, said:

The Borders Railway was rebuilt with future electrification in mind, which means we can deliver this work with far less intrusive engineering than is required on many older parts of the network, where we often need to lower track or raise bridges. The infrastructure here is already suitable for this next stage of modernisation.

Piling is still a vital early step in installing the overhead line equipment that will eventually power electric trains. Our teams have planned the activity carefully to keep disruption to a minimum for passengers and those living near the railway.

We’re grateful to customers and local residents for their patience while we complete this phase of the project. Electrification will deliver long‑term benefits for the Borders, and this work marks an important milestone in creating a cleaner, more reliable and more sustainable railway for the future.