The newly reconstructed Thornliebank Road bridge was officially opened on Tuesday 22 April by Network Rail, seven weeks ahead of the original schedule.

The £5.5 million project to replace the road bridge next to Thornliebank station commenced in April 2024 and forms part of the wider £140 million East Kilbride Enhancement project. This initiative, backed by Scottish Government investment, aims to decarbonise passenger rail services on the route. 

Network Rail, working in partnership with contractor Story, undertook the complex task of raising the bridge to create sufficient clearance for the new overhead electric power lines that will power the future electric trains. 

The 12-month project involved over 50,000 working hours and the use of 1,500 tonnes of concrete, reinforced with 165 tonnes of steel, for the new bridge structure. Prior to the demolition of the old bridge in September of last year, the initial five months of work focused on the intricate process of relocating 22 separate utilities, including gas, water, electricity, and telecoms, from the existing structure and subsequently reinstalling these services into the new bridge in recent months. 

-- Advertisement --

Paul Reilly, Network Rail's senior programme manager for the bridge works, hailed the early completion as a major milestone: "To be opening Thornliebank Road bridge today is a milestone moment for the electrification project, especially as we have been able to do so seven weeks early. It's a fantastic achievement by the team and our contractor Story, who really pushed the programme forward to make critical gains where possible. This investment in electrifying the East Kilbride to Glasgow railway will mean we can run cleaner, greener electric trains that deliver significant environmental improvements for passengers and those living next to the railway. We understand that closing a road bridge temporarily is never ideal, however, this work couldn't be completed otherwise. I want to thank the community, particularly our nearest neighbours, for the patience shown throughout delivery of the work."

Alan Rundell, Head of Operations at Story Contracting, echoed this sentiment: "It was fantastic to see so many people in attendance today at the opening of the new bridge. It is a great testament to the collaborative working between Network Rail, Story, our supply chain partners, and the local community, which sees this bridge being opened to traffic almost two months ahead of schedule. It was a particularly challenging project due to the location and limitations on space as well as numerous unidentified services within the structure which threw challenges to the team, which they took in their stride and overcame. A great achievement for all parties involved and a thank you to the local community for their support during the works."

As part of the project, the neighbouring pedestrian footbridge was also replaced and opened today.

Upon the full completion of the East Kilbride Enhancement project in December 2025, the investment will deliver the electrification of the railway between Glasgow and East Kilbride, a new station at East Kilbride, a new two-platform station with an accessible footbridge at Hairmyres, a new footbridge at Busby station, improved access at Giffnock with a new accessible footbridge, and enhanced access to Platform 2 at Clarkston station.