ScotRail has warned passengers to again expect widespread disruption as the next phase of major electrification engineering works begins in Fife.
Network Rail engineers are scheduled to carry out extensive infrastructure work at multiple locations across the region between Saturday, 10 October and Tuesday, 27 October.
The closures form part of a £311.5m Scottish Government investment project designed to electrify 118km of railway line across Fife and prepare the network for the introduction of new battery-electric trains.
Passengers travelling through major transport hubs including Kirkcaldy, Markinch, Perth, and Dundee will face suspended train services, altered timetables, and reliance on rail replacement bus operations.
The engineering schedule has been divided into three distinct phases of line closures over the 18-day period.
From Saturday, 10 October until Monday, 19 October inclusive, all train services will be suspended between Inverkeithing and Markinch via Kirkcaldy.
To mitigate the impact on daily commuters, rail replacement bus services will operate hourly between Inverkeithing and Markinch.
These buses will service intermediate stations including Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, and Glenrothes with Thornton, with additional capacity provided during peak morning and evening periods on weekdays and Saturdays.
Train services operating via Dunfermline will continue to run during this initial phase.
This includes journeys connecting Edinburgh Waverley with Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and Leven, though exact train times and calling patterns may be subject to alteration.
The infrastructure works will subsequently shift further north from Tuesday, 20 October until Friday, 23 October.
During this four-day window, no passenger trains will operate between Markinch and Perth or Dundee.
An hourly rail replacement bus service will be implemented between Kirkcaldy and Dundee, as well as between Kirkcaldy and Perth, to maintain public transport links.
Where operational constraints allow, rail services operating between Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen will be diverted via Stirling and Perth.
Services scheduled between Edinburgh Waverley and Perth or Dundee will instead begin and terminate at Kirkcaldy, where passengers will be required to disembark and transition to the replacement bus network.
A final phase of intensive engineering work will take place between Saturday, 24 October and Tuesday, 27 October, resulting in the suspension of all trains between Lochgelly and Glenrothes with Thornton.
Hourly replacement buses will operate between Cowdenbeath and Leven during this period, while services routed via Kirkcaldy will largely return to normal operation.
A specific weekend closure on Saturday, 24 October will also suspend all train access to Cameron Bridge and Leven.
Additional transport arrangements have been negotiated with local bus operator Stagecoach to provide further options for displaced rail passengers throughout the entire duration of the engineering project.
Valid rail tickets will be accepted on the Stagecoach X58 service for travel between Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing, and on the number 7 service for journeys between Leven and Inverkeithing.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “This is the next important phase of the work to electrify the railway through Fife, and it will mean significant changes to services for customers travelling through the area.
“We’ll keep people moving wherever possible, with trains running on alternative routes and replacement buses serving impacted stations.
“The travel arrangements change at different stages throughout the works, so we’re asking customers to check their journey before setting off and allow some extra time to travel.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience while this important investment in Scotland’s Railway continues.”
Michael McArthur, Network Rail Project Manager, said: “This is a really significant stage of the project and an opportunity to complete a substantial amount of work in a relatively short space of time.
“Teams have spent months preparing for this closure, carefully planning every activity to make the best possible use of the time available.
“By the end of these 18 days, we’ll have completed some of the largest and most important pieces of work needed to prepare the railway for the future.
“I’d like to thank passengers and local communities for their patience. We don’t take the need for closures lightly, but making these changes now means we can move more quickly towards a quieter, greener and more dependable railway for Fife.”
