Network Rail has announced £55m-worth of contracts associated with the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme.

Morgan Sindall will construct a new £25m station at Haymarket, in Edinburgh, to create a fully accessible station as well as an integrated train, tram, bus and taxi transport hub.

BamNuttall is to reconstruct or remove a number of structures around the central belt in a £27m project and Carillion will deliver a range of track alterations, also in the central belt, in a deal worth £3m.

The contracts, all of which will see work commence in 2012, form part of the £1bn EGIP scheme.

EGIP will also see the electrification of 350km of the existing rail network in the central belt, including the main Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street line, and provide opportunities to increase services and reduce journey times on routes between Alloa and Dunblane and Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Funded by Transport Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the new infrastructure is being financed through Network Rail’s Regulatory Asset Base.

David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said: "The investment announced today will transform Haymarket, delivering a facility which will better serve customers and offer the city as a whole a station it can be proud of.


"The track and bridgeworks contracts we have awarded also mean that preparations are well under way to deliver the electrification of rail lines in the central belt – which will cut journey times and increase capacity on key routes into Scotland’s two biggest cities."

Transport Minister Keith Brown added: "This £50m investment for the Haymarket Station Capacity Project and electrification takes us one step closer to revolutionising the rail network in central Scotland.

"The Scottish Government is committed to bringing tangible benefits to passengers across the country through projects such as EGIP, which will reduce journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh and increase capacity. These works are a significant part of this and I look forward to witnessing the progress made."

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said: "The expansion and redevelopment of Haymarket station is warmly welcomed. We look forward to working with Network Rail to deliver a more modern and welcoming station for future generations of rail customers."

Handling four million passengers a year, Haymarket is Scotland fourth busiest station and passenger numbers are expected to reach 10m by 2025.

Work will begin on site in spring 2012 and enhancements will include:

* Refurbishing the existing station building and constructing a new modern concourse to the west of the existing building.

* Constructing a new access bridge, with DDA compliant lifts and escalators, to all platform levels

* Renewing the platform canopies.

The bridgeworks announced will involve the reconstruction of 18 structures and the removal of two redundant bridges on lines around the central belt. The works will prepare the way for the future electrification of the railway.

Track works are also being delivered on lines around the central belt to facilitate future electrification works.

(GK)