East Kilbride/Barrhead electrification updates

[Farigiraf]

The infrastructure can't support it, so definitely not happening any time soon.

(The double tracking was massively down-scoped.)

I assume it was down-scoped purely down to costs? A shame but not an uncommon occurrence. When traffic eventually grows past what 2tph with 8-car units can cope with, costs for double-tracking at that point will be much greater than how much it would've been had it been done from the start.

 

[Bikeman78]

Looks like a 6 car 318/320 coming from Shields to cover a 380/4 diagram, which will go on East Kilbride line.
This 6 car diagram does

Neilston
2 Cathcart Circles
Several Neilstons
1815 Wemyss Bay
Then a Gourock service before returning to Shields

I like the sound of this. Wemyss Bay still required for a class 320. Last bit of gettable track for the class.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Nov 2025 ==

Interesting to see how long the Class 156s stay on the EK branch.

No more 6 car workings once they have gone, I wonder what the shortfall is to a 4 car Class 380.

Is a six car 380 possible? Do they need six cars? I went for the booked pm peak six car in September but it was short formed four cars. There were only a handful of people standing.

 

[Southsider]

Interesting to see how long the Class 156s stay on the EK branch.

No more 6 car workings once they have gone, I wonder what the shortfall is to a 4 car Class 380.

Aside from weekends, there is only one six car working in the peaks (I don’t know what’s diagrammed). There was a plan that they should all be six but that seems to have been ditched. All too frequently it’s two car.

 

[SC318250]

Think 8 car can be accommodated?

 

[zwk500]

When traffic eventually grows past what 2tph with 8-car units can cope with, costs for double-tracking at that point will be much greater than how much it would've been had it been done from the start.

But how long is there until that point?

 

[scosutsut]

Interesting to see how long the Class 156s stay on the EK branch.

No more 6 car workings once they have gone, I wonder what the shortfall is to a 4 car Class 380.

I have it as 137 seats in a 2 car ScotRail Class 156, so 411 in a six car.

4 car Class 380 is listed as 265 so a reduction of 146?

 

[TrainViation]

I have it as 137 seats in a 2 car ScotRail Class 156, so 411 in a six car.

4 car Class 380 is listed as 265 so a reduction of 146?

Would 2x3 car 380s not be possible on this route?

 

[MadMac]

Would 2x3 car 380s not be possible on this route?

I think they need the 3s for Neilston as the turnback can’t handle anything longer than 6.

 

[SC318250]

It is normally 4 car 380 on Neilston and when 6 cars run it 318/320

Think when new fleet come in they will operate the EK services

 

[sannox]

I think they need the 3s for Neilston as the turnback can’t handle anything longer than 6.

The turnback at Neilston is also too short for 6 car 380s. Seen online that it's happened before by accident but no idea if true!

You do get the occasional 3 car 380 but more often it's 4 car 380s and the 6 car 318/320 combo.

 

[Southsider]

The turnback at Neilston is also too short for 6 car 380s. Seen online that it's happened before by accident but no idea if true!

You do get the occasional 3 car 380 but more often it's 4 car 380s and the 6 car 318/320 combo.

From what I recall it was trialled but fouled the points. Surprised nothing has been done to resolve the issue such as moving the points to the other end of the station and making the platforms bi-directional.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Nov 2025 ==

Would 2x3 car 380s not be possible on this route?

Yes but availability must be very tight.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Nov 2025 ==

Think 8 car can be accommodated?

No, the platform extensions were removed from the project scope.

 

[Falcon1200]

Surprised nothing has been done to resolve the issue such as moving the points to the other end of the station and making the platforms bi-directional.

That would be very expensive, for not that great a benefit.

(Many years ago a certain Driver did, twice, try to extend the headshunt when driving from the rear cab into it, but it didn't end well....)

 

[d9009alycidon]

Surely you could do it one unit at a time?

 

[MadMac]

No, the platform extensions were removed from the project scope.

Back in the 1st gen DMU era, the only six cars that ran were the Interlinks which only stopped at Clarkston and Hairmyres, and it was a squeeze at Hairmyres.

 

[Starmill]

Hairmyres is an interesting station where the Glasgow bound side has barriers but the East Kilbride bound platform is open as the footbridge provides access for non rail users. I guess the theory is passengers will buy tickets to head towards Glasgow (or other stations on the line) so checking tickets on EK bound services isn't needed (and that EK has barriers).

Reminds me of one of the stations between Southend Central & Shoeburyness.

I always said they should have done that at Durham, leave them in on the down, take them out on the up. 95% of the benefit but half the number of gateline shifts. And the ones on the down didn't get so crowded as there was actually space for them, unlike the up. Still too late now eh.

 

[SC318250]

That would be very expensive, for not that great a benefit.

(Many years ago a certain Driver did, twice, try to extend the headshunt when driving from the rear cab into it, but it didn't end well....)

I take it that was in the 303 days?

Is Neilston turnback tight for a 6 car 318/320?

What is the length of EK platform ?
Will it only take 6 car 380?

 

[Falcon1200]

I take it that was in the 303 days?

It was, yes. The Turnback Siding is indeed tight for 6-cars, and of course cannot accommodate an 8-car 380 formation, so should a 4-car fail on the Up line towards Neilston and require assistance it would have to return wrong line to the crossover at Muirend; There is however bi-directional signalling on the Up line from Whitecraigs.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Went through the backlogs of this thread and found that the new Neutral Section at Muirhouse South Junction is because of an extension made to Eglington Street Feeder Station feeding a cable from there to Muirhouse South Junction TSC. Since there is a neutral section involved, this suggests that, of the (presumably) 2 supplies at Eglington Street, one feeds Central station and that immediate area - while the other is cabled across to Muirhouse Sth Jnc feeding to Barrhead and East Kilbride.

Firstly, is that accurate? But secondly, there also seems to have been another new neutral section at Muirhouse South but for the Cathcart Line added at the same time. This seems puzzling because the Cathcart line (including Neilston branch) just comes back around again to the other side of that neutral section. So is there another neutral section somewhere along the length of the Cathcart line - or what?

(My normal go-to's for this kinda quandary are the railcodes website and the public SAs. But both of those are notoriously innaccurate when it comes to neutral sections in Scotland so I think it's worth asking further.)

 

[alxndr]

There is a neutral section between Muirhouse Central junction and Pollokshields West. The only other neutral section is on the Down Inner Cathcart between the Larkfield Curve bridge and Queens Park.

 

[Frankton Junct]

BBC report Diesel trains to run on new £144m electric line published this morning.

A quarter of the trains running on the newly-electrified £144m rail line between East Kilbride and Glasgow Central will be diesel, ScotRail has confirmed.

Electric trains will operate passenger services on the route for the first time next Sunday after a year of work which has seen more than 22km (13.6 miles) of overhead electrification as well as extensive remodelling of stations and bridges.

However, ScotRail said only about 75% of services would be operated by the new greener electric trains with the rest remaining the current polluting diesel trains.

ScotRail said it was in the process of procurement for a new fleet but no timescale was given for when they would begin service.

The majority of services will be operated by 4-car class 380 EMUs but the peak 6-car services will still be operated by DMUs.

I was pleased to see that the timetable will be half hourly through to the final train of the day.

 

[Southsider]

There’s a four car 380 operating on the line this morning. Running between the scheduled services and no passengers as far as I can see.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

There is a neutral section between Muirhouse Central junction and Pollokshields West. The only other neutral section is on the Down Inner Cathcart between the Larkfield Curve bridge and Queens Park.

so at Queens Park the OHNS is only on one line and not the other?

 

[Frankton Junct]

There’s a four car 380 operating on the line this morning. Running between the scheduled services and no passengers as far as I can see.

It was a special service for the dignitaries. There is now an article published at the Network Rail Media Centre.

The completion of the project was celebrated today (Monday 8 December) with an event at Glasgow Central, where project teams, stakeholders, and local representatives came together before boarding an electric train for a commemorative journey to East Kilbride.

 

[alxndr]

so at Queens Park the OHNS is only on one line and not the other?

Correct. Nothings changed at the Queens Park side as far as I can tell.

 

[Falcon1200]

so at Queens Park the OHNS is only on one line and not the other?

The neutral section on the Down Inner between Queens Park and Pollokshields East is not there to separate overhead line sections but due to a low pipe spanning the line; The pipe is on a slope so there is no need for a neutral section on the Up Outer.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Correct. Nothings changed at the Queens Park side as far as I can tell.

The neutral section on the Down Inner between Queens Park and Pollokshields East is not there to separate overhead line sections but due to a low pipe spanning the line; The pipe is on a slope so there is no need for a neutral section on the Up Outer.

Ah I see,
This does beg the question though, what is the point of the Pollokshields West OHNS? The circuits on either side physically connect to each other around the Cathcart circle so it can never section anything from anything. It's noted as being added in 2023.

 

[zwk500]

Don't think it's been posted yet, ORR Approval letter now published:
https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/defaul...oject-orr-authorisation-letter-2025-12-03.pdf

This authorisation is for placing into service of:

Busby Junction to East Kilbride 25kV Railway Electrification between 0m 0044yds and 7m 1320yds. The Energy subsystem authorised by this letter must be operated and maintained in accordance with Regulation 20

Hairmyres Station: Platform 1 (Up Hairmyres Loop), Platform 2 (Down Hairmyres Loop) between 5m 1386yds and 5m 1574yds.

East Kilbride Station: Platform 1 (Up/Down East Kilbride) between 7m 1122yds and 7m 1320yds.

 

[OB23Gone]

There’s a four car 380 operating on the line this morning. Running between the scheduled services and no passengers as far as I can see.

The 1st run was a Press & dignitaries drop of for the presentation. 380115 then headed back to Central as NO PLACE/SPACE to Stable it. Then another run out to take the entourage back. Got a couple of pictures at Thornliebank. Also a Bonus as a couple of Snow Plough's were in transit from Eastriggs MOD to Mossend. Turned out transit was approx +30 which resulted in both 5K42, returning 380115, and 7Z08 crossing each other in Pollokshaws Station at exactly the same time 1123 & 3/4. Had planned to go to Giffnock photo the 1st Daytime Electric and the Bridge & Lifts. But Hay Ho

 

[waverley47]

A colleague was sent an invitation, however duties required we be elsewhere in Scotland for a consultation. I sent him these pictures, and he said they're making him very sad that he missed it, it all looks very shiny and impressive.

 

[mcmad]

The photographs of the 'dignitaries' at East Kilbride look very odd, almost as if they've just been photoshopped in. Obviously they were there so no reason for them to have been but very odd.