Ayr to Stranraer railway line gets upgrade in just six days

The quick turnaround was helped by the line having been closed south of Ayr since the fire at the former Station Hotel building last September and subsequent demolition work.

The closure of the line meant the infrastructure company had to bring a specialised 65-tonne 'tamper' machine, used to maintain the tracks, in by road before lifting it on to the railway line at Stranraer using a 500-tonne crane.

That also enabled the company to 'rescue' two ScotRail trains that have been stranded south of Ayr since the line closure last year, also by road, and transport them to Glasgow for essential maintenance.
Laggansarroch Viaduct near Girvan (Image: Network Rail)

The upgrade work is part of efforts to help Network Rail achieve a net zero carbon target by 2035.

As well as the composite sleepers, engineers used 1,800 steel sleepers, 1,500 tonnes of ballast (stone which supports the track), and 2km of new rails during the work.

At Kilkerran, between Maybole and Girvan, 650 metres of new track drainage was also installed during the project.

Gerry McQuade, capital delivery director at Network Rail Scotland said: “The work we’ve carried out on the Stranraer line will help to keep trains moving during periods of extreme rainfall and bring smoother journeys for passengers.

"A huge thanks to everyone for coming up with an innovative solution to carry out the work, and for working around the clock for six days to complete the job.”

Craig Barclay, operations director at Rail Systems Alliance Scotland said: “I’m pleased our alliance between Network Rail, Babcock International and Arcadis was able to devise a new plan to complete this vital work, given the ongoing closure of the railway at Ayr, and also assist ScotRail in returning their two Class 156 trains to Corkerhill depot for vital maintenance.”