Network Rail wraps more checks to find alternative to 14-month Thornton road closure
More work has been done to try to find a solution after a community backlash over plans to close the main road through Thornton for 14 months as part of the electrification of the Fife rail line.
The start date has been put on hold after Network Rail walked into a storm of protest at its first engagement session in the town. It has set up a local liaison group to come up with alternative plans before work starts.
Work was due to begin on May 12, with all traffic diverted on to the A92 until July 2027, but Fife Council cancelled the traffic regulation order which meant they road could not be closed as planned.
Over 170 people responded to a “mass drop-in” call from Thornton Community Council at an engagement session in the Town Hall where Network Rail officials apologised for the way they had handled the matter.
Officers from the infrastructure company hosted the first liaison group meeting in Thornton. It was attended residents, local business, councillors, the community council, and Thornton Primary School PTA.
The meeting discussed the issues raised at the recent community meeting, including options to restrict and/or reduce the duration of the proposed road closure.
Network Rail said it was working with Fife Council to find “practical, deliverable solutions to the issues identified. It has now completed four days of further investigation works, which it said helped to “gain a greater knowledge about the number of utilities and their exact locations on the bridge.”
It added: “With work ongoing across Network Rail, Fife Council and our partners, we have taken the decision to hold the next Thornton Liaison Group meeting at a later date than we had originally planned, in order to finalise the wider details around potential changes to the work in Thornton.
“We appreciate that many from the community are giving up their evenings to attend these meetings and we want to ensure that we are in a position to provide clear and informative updates on the programme for the bridge, the impact of this work and the steps taken by Network Rail and Fife Council to minimise disruption at our next meeting.”
The work at Thornton is central to the £324million electrification project. The bridge has to be demolished and raised by up to 40cm to allow the trains to pass under safely. A huge part of the work involves relocating all the utilities.
The backlash has thrown Network Rail’s timescales into doubt and it has to come up with alternative options in order to meet its already scheduled works for October. – and it that deadline is missed, there could be a huge rise in the overall costs.
Network Rail is also set to close Bennochy Bridge in Kirkcaldy - a key route into the Lang Toun - for 12 months from May 12 to demolish and rebuild the bridge over the rail line. A major diversion has been put in place for all traffic.