The final railway footbridge has been installed as part of the £742 million Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).

The structure, located over the railway near Niddry Castle in Winchburgh, marks the 60th bridge to be replaced on the route, clearing the way for electrification of the railway.

The bridges were created by Network Rail to create the extra height required to safely run electricity cables for overhead line electrification. With this route now 'height cleared', work will begin on completing the overhead wiring and making the line live by Easter 2017.


To date, EGIP has successfully completed the £80m electrification of the Cumbernauld line, the £25m redevelopment of Edinburgh's Haymarket station and the completion of the new, £41m Edinburgh Gateway train-tram interchange.

In addition to the 60 structures replaced, the parapet heights at more than 100 bridges have also been raised route-wide.

Kevin McClelland, Network Rail route delivery director for infrastructure projects, said: "Niddry Castle footbridge marks a significant milestone in EGIP as we move towards the final phase of delivering the electrification of the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

"By the middle of March, Niddry Castle footbridge will once again become a well-worn pathway enjoyed by the local community but for EGIP, it has a much wider significance for the project and an important step towards delivering the electrification of Scotland's flagship route."

(LM/MH)