Work to lift a new footbridge into place at West Calder railway station is now complete.

BAM Nuttall used a 300-tonne crane to lift nine sections of the structure, weighing more than 21 tonnes, into place on Sunday, 17 December.

The sections and staircases were connected to the lift towers which had been positioned earlier to complete the main frame of the structure. Works on the scheme will continue onto February 2018 and create step-free access across the railway, improving the station for people with impaired mobility, travelling with luggage, children or cycles.


Overall, the bridge forms part of Network Rail's wider work being delivered on the Shotts line ahead of the electrification of the route by March 2019.

Matthew Spence, Network Rail route delivery director, said: "Completing the installation of the main bridge structure is an important milestone for the project as we move towards making big improvements in accessibility at the station.

"Being able to build the new bridge sections at West Calder beside the railway and crane them into position enables us to deliver the work with the minimum disruption to the day-to-day operation of the station.

"We are continuously seeking opportunities to make stations more accessible. This new bridge will help ensure that everyone in the community has the opportunity to easily access services at West Calder station and thus enable even more people to travel by train."

(LM)