Carillion Powerlines has scooped a further £11.6million deal to work on the electrification of the Shotts line between Holytown Junction and Midcalder Junction in Scotland.

Network Rail awarded the contract to the firm which will deliver enhancements to stations to support the electrification of 74km of railway as part of a wider £160m Scottish Government investment.

The electrification of the line will enable the introduction of a new fleet of electric trains on services between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central via Shotts with the new Hitachi class 385 rolling stock offering improved reliability and increased capacity for passengers.

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Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: "This work contributes to the transformation of services across the central belt as part of the wider package of investment to enhance rail travel between the country’s two biggest cities, meaning passengers will see shorter journey times, increased capacity and better reliability."

Iain McFarlane, route delivery director for Network Rail, said: "This contract is another step forward for the delivery of the Shotts electrification project and further underlines our commitment to investing in and enhancing our infrastructure as part of our UK-wide railway upgrade plan.

"Electrification of the line across North Lanarkshire and West Lothian coupled with improvements at stations will transform the journey experience for rail passengers who will enjoy the benefits of improved services for many years to come."

(CD/MH)