WATCH: Timelapse video shows creation of Edinburgh Waverley’s new platforms 5 and 6

A cracking new timelapse video from Network Rail shows how two platforms at Edinburgh Waverley train station have been extended.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Feb 2019, 16:29 BST
Updated 28th Feb 2019, 17:32 BST

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Platforms 5 and 6, to the east side of the station, have been extended to 902ft to accommodate new 10-carriage trains, due to be introduced on the main line between Edinburgh and London later this year.

During the project, around 16,000 tons of material was removed to create the platforms, with 7,000 tons of ballast and new track laid as well as the installation of new signalling and overhead power lines.

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The platforms are the latest upgrade to be delivered at Scotland’s second-busiest station, with a longer platform 12 having entered service in December 2017. This was part of the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) to accommodate ScotRail’s new Class-385 trains.

The new platformsThe new platforms
The new platforms

The latest infrastructure has been funded by the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme and the EGIP.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson said: “The completion of this important work at Waverley station will enable further platform capacity for Edinburgh to Glasgow services and deliver faster, longer, greener trains between Edinburgh and London.

“This is a prime example of Scottish Government investment helping to improve our rail network and shows the benefits that can be realised through cross-border working with partners in the UK rail industry.”

UK Rail Minister Andrew Jones said: “Having worked closely with Transport Scotland to deliver this upgrade, the longer platforms will deliver the benefits for the new Azuma trains – due on the East Coast later this year.”

Kevin McClelland, route delivery director for infrastructure projects, said: “Successfully delivering this work has been a logistical challenge for our engineers and contractors who have constructed the new infrastructure in Scotland’s second-busiest station with a minimum of disruption to the tens of thousands of customers who use Waverley every day.

“The new platforms, and the modern trains they have been designed to accommodate, will greatly improve the service we can offer to passengers travelling on this key route between the two capitals.”

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