TRAIN services from Barrhead to Kilmarnock are set to be "more reliable" following a month-long closure of the line.

It comes after signalling work refurbishments have been completed near Lugton while the route has been closed to allow electrification works between Barrhead and Glasgow.

The signalling works, which would have originally taken three months to complete, were done in three weeks.

 

 

Visiting the town's station as part of the works, ScotRail managing director Alex Hynes said: "While the (electrification) project's ongoing and trains aren't able to run between Glasgow and Kilmarnock, we've looked at what other work we can do to make the most of this opportunity.

"Our signalling team have been planning the refurbishment to a number of signals south of Barrhead, near Lugton in East Ayrshire.

"It was originally going to take them three months working overnight to do this. However, taking advantage of the closure, the team has now been able to work for longer during the day, cutting the time to complete this in half to just six weeks.

"And that means journeys between Barrhead and Kilmarnock will be more reliable too."

We previously reported that engineers have been working around the clock to deliver key upgrades to prepare the line for electrification.

The £63.3million project has included upgrades at four stations - Kennishead, Priesthill & Darnley, Nitshill and Barrhead.

Rail workers have been installing overhead power cables ahead of the introduction of electric services in December.

Work has also been carried out to remove the footbridge at Nitshill station and replace it with a ramp which will provide step-free access to Platform 2.

The line is set to reopen on Friday, August 4.