Track-laying starts on £300m railway project

WORK has begun on laying track for the new £300 million Airdrie-Bathgate line, Scotland's biggest new railway project for 50 years.

The 15-mile stretch of track will link the existing Bathgate to Edinburgh and Airdrie to Glasgow lines by autumn this year, with passenger services operating by December.

However, the work has been overshadowed by a series of strikes held in response to ScotRail's plans to operate services without guards on the route.

Meanwhile, the RMT union plans to hold a third one-day strike on Saturday in protest at Scot- Rail's plans to operate "driver-only" trains on the new train route.

The union yesterday launched a new campaign, Keep the Guard on the Train – Keep the Train Safe, aimed at highlighting the role that guards play in maintaining rail safety.