{"id":182774,"date":"2025-03-05T19:16:17","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T09:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=60404"},"modified":"2025-03-05T19:16:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T09:16:17","slug":"renovation-of-key-rail-bridge-in-edinburgh-to-cause-disruptions-throughout-march-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=182774","title":{"rendered":"Renovation of key rail bridge in Edinburgh to cause disruptions throughout March"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five major roads, a shopping centre and a railway running over the top of them on two bridges. Now, one of those bridges needs to be replaced. The south side of Edinburgh is preparing for a major rail closure that will actually mean a major road closure. Five major road closures.<\/strong>
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Scotland\u2019s capital city has one dedicated freight route. The purpose-built South Suburban Railway, commonly known as \u201cthe Sub\u201d, winds through the leafier parts of the city. It has faded out of memory for most because it has not had a passenger service since 1962. However, for seventy freight movements every day, it\u2019s as busy as it ever was.<\/p>\n

Natives restless<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s the best view on the South Suburban Railway<\/a>. Soaring over a big traffic circle, or a \u201croundabout\u201d, in that poetic British way. Cameron Toll is so big it has a forest, a bike trail and two railway bridges running over it. There\u2019s even a shopping centre named after it, right off its west side. However, it\u2019s also been a byword for delays, closures and disruption – for the lines of road traffic below, and citizens bemoaning the lack of passenger trains.<\/p>\n

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Bridge work preparations at Cameron Toll in Edinburgh. Image: \u00a9 Simon Walton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The local administration (City of Edinburgh Council) has been pilloried. Residents say it has failed to coordinate a series of surface level road repairs and underground utility works. That has caused multiple closures over the past eighteen months. Coincidentally, that\u2019s about how long Network Rail has been coordinating plans to refurbish one of the two bridges over Cameron Toll. That refurbishment has started today (4 March), with some of the roads closed for the duration of the work (until 14 March).<\/p>\n

Value added for network<\/h2>\n

Network Rail says it\u2019s a \u00a31.25m (1.48 million euros) investment in the railway, but it\u2019s worth far more. The Sub is the only way to avoid the heavily congested route through Waverley Station and Haymarket Station – two of the busiest in Scotland.<\/p>\n