ScotRail is advising Helensburgh passengers heading towards Edinburgh to only take essential journeys as significant disruption will hit the central belt at the end of the month.
Trains from Helensburgh to Edinburgh will not operate east of Bathgate for five days, from January 29 until February 1.
The rail operator says the line closure is essential to install a netting system on a rock cutting above the railway, preventing potential rockfalls.
ScotRail warns journey times beyond Bathgate will be at least 40 minutes longer, with a limited number of replacement buses operating between Bathgate and Edinburgh Park, where passengers can catch trams to the city centre.
Travellers who are heading all the way from Helensburgh to Edinburgh can usually speed up their journeys by changing trains in Glasgow and catching the express service via Falkirk High, rather than staying on the service running via Bathgate.
But trains via Falkirk High, too, will be disrupted, with limited buses operating on that route between Linlithgow and Edinburgh Park.
Services between Helensburgh and Glasgow will not be affected.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail's customer operations director, said: “There will be significant disruption to the services ScotRail can operate between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Bathgate, Linlithgow, Stirling, and Inverness.
Due to engineering works, there'll be significant disruption to train services on three routes across the central belt of Scotland from 29 January to 1 February. We’ve made a series of videos to help you with your journeys. Here's Glasgow – Edinburgh via Falkirk High. pic.twitter.com/89pKGtWCAl
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) January 18, 2024
“ScotRail’s advice to customers travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High or via Bathgate, and between Edinburgh and Dunblane, is that you should only travel if your journey is essential.
“Customers travelling between Inverness and Edinburgh should also be aware that journey times will may be longer as those services are diverted via Fife, and will not call at Stirling.
“We understand the disruption this will cause to customers journeys, but it is essential that Network Rail carries out these works. We thank customers for their patience.”
Find out more information at scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/engineering-works.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here