Commencing on 10 October, teams will spend 18 days delivering some of the biggest and most intricate parts of the project, such as rebuilding bridges, carrying out alterations to the track as well as upgrading signalling equipment.

The work forms part of the Scottish Government’s £311.5 million investment to electrify 118 kilometres of railway in Fife and bring in battery-electric trains. The investment would decrease dependence on diesel trains.

Elements of the railway need to be changed to create the space required for the new equipment, before overhead power lines can be installed.

During this phase of work, bridges at Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy, Muriespot near Coaltown of Balgonie and Main Street in Thornton will be knocked down and rebuilt, while the bridge at Cardenden Road in Cardenden will undergo an upgrade.

Teams will also proceed with installing foundations for the masts alongside the track that will support the overhead wires and deliver further track and signalling work. 

In order for the work to be delivered safely, temporary alterations to train services will be in place. On Saturday 10 to Friday 23 October, no trains will run via Kirkcaldy.

Michael McArthur, project manager at Network Rail, said: “This is a really significant stage of the project and an opportunity to complete a substantial amount of work in a relatively short space of time.

“Teams have spent months preparing for this closure, carefully planning every activity to make the best possible use of the time available.”

McArthur added: “By the end of these 18 days, we’ll have completed some of the largest and most important pieces of work needed to prepare the railway for the future.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “This is the next important phase of the work to electrify the railway through Fife, and it will mean significant changes to services for customers travelling through the area.

“We’ll keep people moving wherever possible, with trains running on alternative routes and replacement buses serving impacted stations.”

Ilderton added: “The travel arrangements change at different stages throughout the works, so we’re asking customers to check their journey before setting off and allow some extra time to travel.”

From 19 October 2026 until 31 March 2027, Main Street in Thornton will also close to enable bridge work.