Most of Scotland's rail network will remain open over the festive season as engineers deliver a package of upgrades designed to improve reliability.

More than £15m will be spent across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Fife during Christmas and New Year. With fewer people typically travelling at this time, the programme has been scheduled for the holidays, and passengers are advised to check their journeys in advance.

The largest element targets Scotland's original electrified railway on Glasgow's North Clyde lines, which link Helensburgh, Balloch and Milngavie through the city's west end and low-level stations.

Over Christmas and New Year, teams will renew ageing overhead wires and equipment that power electric trains. Work will run between Hyndland and Yoker from 25–29 December, followed by Partick to Westerton from 1–4 January. Much of the kit is more than 65 years old and nearing the end of its life, making renewal essential to keep services safe and dependable.

This activity forms part of a three-year, £20m investment to modernise the overhead infrastructure, with work planned over the Christmas and New Year periods in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

-- Advertisement --

Gary Hopkirk, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: "For many people, the festive period means time off work and the chance to catch up with family and friends. The railway is generally quieter too, so it makes sense to use that opportunity to carry out some of the bigger jobs that are harder to do when the network is at its busiest.

"Most of the railway will still be open and we want people to get out and enjoy Christmas and New Year. We'd just ask passengers to check their journey before travelling, particularly if they're heading through an area where we're working. I'd also like to thank our teams who'll be giving up part of their festive season to keep improving Scotland's railway."

Elsewhere, around 1.5km of track will be renewed in Edinburgh at Murrayfield and Haymarket on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and vegetation will be cleared along the railway between Dalmeny, Ladybank and the Tay Bridge on the same days.

In Dundee, significant track work will take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to replace life-expired equipment that enables trains to move from one track to another. On New Year's Day, engineers will inspect the roof and various structures at Glasgow Queen Street station and undertake any necessary repairs. At Finnieston in Glasgow, life-expired sections of track will be replaced between 3 and 4 January.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: "We know that this essential engineering work will mean changes to journeys for some customers over Christmas and New Year, and we appreciate their patience and understanding while the improvements are carried out.

"We'll be doing everything we can to keep customers moving and minimise the impact of the works, helping people continue to travel with confidence throughout the festive period.

"We'd encourage everyone planning to travel over the Christmas and New Year period to check their journey in advance through the ScotRail website or app and allow extra time where necessary."