Network Rail has completed £7m of enhancements in North Lanarkshire, reinforcing one of Scotland's most important rail freight corridors.

Mossend, which hosts three major freight depots, is a crucial logistics hub and last year handled more than 80% of the country's rail freight, making it central to the national supply chain.

During a planned nine-day shutdown over the festive period, engineers delivered a package of works designed to bolster reliability and performance for both freight and passenger services.

The programme included replacing more than a mile of life-expired track, renewing seven critical connections, installing 450 yards of new drainage, and upgrading signalling and overhead line equipment.

-- Advertisement --

Gerry McQuade, capital delivery director at Network Rail, said: "Every freight train can replace up to 120 lorry journeys, making rail a cleaner, greener way to move goods. That means fewer emissions, less congestion on our roads, and support for Scotland's economy.

"Across Scotland's Railway, we're investing heavily in infrastructure to make rail the first choice for freight as well as passengers. This upgrade at Mossend strengthens a key section of the network that underpins the country's freight operations.

"Completing the work during the festive period allowed us to deliver complex improvements safely while minimising disruption. We'd like to thank passengers and customers for their patience while we carried out this essential project."

Alongside the core works, Network Rail invested £250,000 from its Targeted Performance Fund to improve efficiency at Mossend. Trains can now enter and depart the freight depots at 15mph (three times faster than before), clearing the area more quickly and improving performance on this key stretch of the network.

The line reopened as scheduled on Saturday 3 January following the nine-day closure.

The project was delivered in partnership with freight operators including DB Cargo, GB Railfreight, Freightliner, Colas Rail and Direct Rail Services.