Fife Rail Electrification/Decarbonisation

[Scotrail344Lad]

Good pictures, it seems to be coming along well. Thanks again

 

[TrainViation]

So i've finally been out and had a look at progress when it's not dark or tipping down with rain....

Also noted piles in the ground between Thornton Junction and the access point about a mile south.

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I had forgotten that I had taken a photo of Thornton feeder station....

Amazing videos you’ve posted around Kirkcaldy and Thornton, they’ve really cracked on in the past month!

Would it be possible to get another video around Edinburgh Airport and between Murrayfield/Saughton area? I seen some contact wires being put up but there hasn’t been any great images or footage so far.

 

[Ginaro]

Cardenden Station to recieve new footbridge, as well as new electrification visuals available on Fife Council planning permissions website.

Interesting, as the initial maps and EIA plans showed the electrification stopping east before it got to the station, now seems be going further west towards Lochgelly.

 

[TrainViation]

Lady Nina Square new footbridge looks to be nearly complete and receiving final touches in Coaltown of Balgonie - images from a local friend:

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Lady Nina Square new footbridge looks to be nearly complete and receiving final touches in Coaltown of Balgonie - images from a local friend:

That looks pretty substantial.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

So i've finally been out and had a look at progress when it's not dark or tipping down with rain....

Also noted piles in the ground between Thornton Junction and the access point about a mile south.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Mar 2026 ==

I had forgotten that I had taken a photo of Thornton feeder station....

The Scottish teams have shown the benefit of continuous work honing there skills and delivering efficiency although when any of it will see a pantograph remains to be seen but at least the juice will be there when they arrive.

 

[Ginaro]

Dunno where the best place to put this question is, but I noticed some sections in Fife have HST speed limit boards - do the 158/170s currently use those or is it just the HSTs, and would the new BEMU trains be expected to use them?

 

[najaB]

do the 158/170s currently use those or is it just the HSTs, and would the new BEMU trains be expected to use them?

Yes, HST differential limits apply to Classes 158 and 170.

It remains to be seen what the BEMUs are allowed, but I'd be shocked if they weren't also permitted to use HST limits.

 

[waverley47]

Yes, HST differential limits apply to Classes 158 and 170.

It remains to be seen what the BEMUs are allowed, but I'd be shocked if they weren't also permitted to use HST limits.

Given the documentation we've seen, the BEMUs will have a light enough axle load to be able to use both MU and HST speeds.

 

[TrainViation]

New visualisations of Bennochy Road Bridge, just north of Kirkcaldy station, once it's constructed. Available on the Fife Planning Applications website.
Oddly enough, there is no overhead line equipment shown in these images, unlike the other footbridge.

 

[Scotrail344Lad]

Odd

 

[TrainViation]

I've released an update video talking about the whole project.
Hope this is of some use to people:

 

[GraphitProjekt]

this was a really well put together and thorough video thankyou!

 

[najaB]

Agreed! Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Scotrail344Lad]

Thanks

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Very informative, thanks for posting. Nice and succinct.

 

[TrainViation]

New visuals of the Glenrothes with Thornton road bridge, which will take (in my opinion) a ridiculous 14-month closure. I know there are reasons for it such as services and mains.

 

[37025]

Could be worse, it could be the main road in and out of Thornton thats closing for 14 months
.........oh hang on a minute !!

 

[ajwffc]

New visuals of the Glenrothes with Thornton road bridge, which will take (in my opinion) a ridiculous 14-month closure. I know there are reasons for it such as services and mains.

looking at google maps there looks to be some services

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Could be worse, it could be the main road in and out of Thornton thats closing for 14 months
.........oh hang on a minute !!

it will be fine unless the council dig up Blackwood Rd

 

[37025]

Work to raise the parapet on the bridge crossing Randolph Road on the outskirts of Kirkcaldy has commenced.

In the second photo can be seen the footbridge mentioned in post #311 which was due to be removed over the Easter weekend.

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Looks like the work at Glenrothes with Thornton station is to be put on hold after local complaints:

‘People power’ forces Network Rail to halt 14-month road closure in Fife town

Network Rail’s plans to close a main road through Thornton for 14 months have been put on hold after the company ran into a huge community backlash.

www.fifetoday.co.uk

 

[TrainViation]

Looks like the work at Glenrothes with Thornton station is to be put on hold after local complaints:

Adding onto this, a quote from the article says this:

"Plans to close the road from May 12 have now been put on hold, and Network Rail faces a major problem coming up with alternative options in order to meet its already scheduled works for October. – and it that deadline is missed, there could be a huge rise in the overall costs."

I'm not sure what this could mean, but I'm assuming it means the beginning of piling and masting on the Cardenden leg of the Thornton triangle is imminent. At least I hope it is.

 

[37025]

The first mast base just north of the old Dysart station was sunk in the early hours of Thursday morning, waking me up as it was driven in and seen on the left of this photo taken yesterday.

 

[TrainViation]

The first mast base just north of the old Dysart station was sunk in the early hours of Thursday morning, waking me up as it was driven in and seen on the left of this photo taken yesterday.

Great to see progress in the Dysart area now. It seems a LOT of vegetation work will be required to allow OLE clearance, and it's a good job they're doing it right this time.

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Small update/clarification from Network Rail.

The current plan of electrification is to wire between Kinghorn and Ladybank, before moving onto Leven to Cardenden.

Although I hope if that is actually the case, they finish off the Leven line at the same time at the Kirkcaldy section, and connect the two lines up once the Feeder Station goes live.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Apr 2026 ==

A further update on Fife Electrification.

Electrification between Thornton Jn and Ladybank will begin in January 2027 according to Network Rail.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Most of this already reported I know but as I've been to Leven via both routes today my observation.
Leven branch 95% structures+ cantilevers no wiring but registration arms attached. I'd say foundations 99% some recently concreted ones.
Foundations from Thornton Nth about a mile towards Kircaldy.
Twin Siemens buildings installed at Thornton Jcn with cable routes substantially complete.
No sign of any foundation activity on Glenrothes to Rosyth but heavy vegetation clearance maybe early prep work.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Twin Siemens buildings installed at Thornton Jcn with cable routes substantially complete.

All good news but this bit caught my eye. Really good news.

 

[TrainViation]

All good news but this bit caught my eye. Really good news.

Indeed, I'll see if I can find an image of it in my camera roll. It also seems there is a road work near the site, scheduled between 18/05 and 17/08, for some sort of "Excavate, backfill and reinstate for a new connection" work.

The photo below was taken on the 21st of February, so it may be a little out of date, and things might have changed a bit since then.

 

[37025]

Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy has closed today until July 2027 as the bridge is to be replaced as part of the Fife electrification programme.
Further work has been carried out on the bridge parapets at Rosebery Terrace recently as well.

 

[TrainViation]

A new bridge demolition has been announced on roadworksscotland.org, showing Cardenden Rd in Cardenden is due to be "demolished, repaired and replaced". This is meant to take place within a timeframe of 90 working days, and is due to begin between the 17th of August and 16th of November this year.

 

[TrainViation]

An update to the infamous Thornton Station overbridge plan.​

Works to demolish existing rail bridge and replace with new structure. Works will be phased as follows: Utility diversions under 2-way temporary traffic lights from 8th June - 18th Oct., followed by demolition of existing and construction of new structure under full road closure from 19th Oct.2026 until 31st March 2027, and then reverting back to temporary traffic lights to reinstate utilities within new structure form 1st April 2027 until 9th July 2027​

It appears that there will still be no alternative diversionary routes proposed, and the only difference will be a slightly smaller bridge closure time.

Quoted from roadworksscotland.org.

 

[ajwffc]

An update to the infamous Thornton Station overbridge plan.​

It appears that there will still be no alternative diversionary routes proposed, and the only difference will be a slightly smaller bridge closure time.

Quoted from roadworksscotland.org.

Honestly there is not much more they can do short of closing the station