A milestone has been reached on the £160 million Shotts Line electrification project between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The first mast has been erected for the scheme at Holytown Junction near Carfin.

Overall, the project will deliver more than 1,200 masts over 74km of electrified railway once completed in March 2019.

Work remains on target to deliver electrification of the railway network between Holytown and Midcalder junctions. Work so far has included extensive vegetation clearance and piling for mast foundations, which has been carried out in tandem with work on a range of bridges as part of a route clearance programme to ensure the overhead lines can run under structures on the route.

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Brian Mallon, programme manager for the Shotts Line Electrification said: "This first mast going up is an important milestone in the delivery of the Shotts electrification project as people travelling on or living beside the railway will now start to see real, visual progress in the work to upgrade the line.

"Although we still have piled foundations to complete, the way we are working with our contractors Carillion Powerlines has enabled us to start putting the masts up at the same time to deliver in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible while minimising disruption for both lineside communities and passengers."

(LM)