Work around for Polmont memorial

Network Rail is about to undertake works at the memorial garden at Polmont station to install electrification mast foundations as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP).

The memorial plaque and bench will not be affected and the section of the garden which will be disturbed will be fully reinstated on completion of the electrification works.

Network Rail will ensure activity in proximity to the memorial is carried out sensitively and considerately.

The memorial commemorates the tragic events of July 1984 when a train derailed near the station fatally injuring 13 people.

During the work, part of the garden will be removed temporarily to allow the installation of the foundations for an electrification stanchion.

Once the structure closest to the garden is in place, the area will be reinstated. The memorial plaque will not need to be removed during this work.

Rodger Querns, Programme Director for EGIP, said: “We are fully aware of the sensitivities around undertaking work adjacent to this important memorial to the tragic events that occurred near the station in 1984. We will deliver this project as quickly as we can, with minimal disturbance, and are committed to fully reinstating the garden as soon as possible.

“We would also like to thank the public for their understanding and co-operation during the work. This work is vital to the electrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line and some disruption to the garden is unavoidable.”

The foundation works at the garden will start over the weekend beginning Saturday, April 2. The stanchion will be erected at a later date.

The biggest enhancement project undertaken on Scotland’s railway since the Victorian era, EGIP is a Scottish Government-funded investment worth £742m.

Once complete, EGIP will deliver more seats and faster journeys on greener and more energy efficient trains.

For further information on EGIP, follow us on twitter @NetworkRailEGIP