The route, which connects communities across the Highlands will close to allow a significant amount of work to be carried out. 

The investment intends to keep the railway in good condition and make sure it continues to deliver a reliable service for people commuting across the Highlands. 

During the closure, a variety of renewals, repairs and other maintenance operations will be carried out. 

At Inverness station, track and sleepers will be renewed at platforms 5 and 6 and equipment that allows trains to move between different tracks will be refurbished.

Roughly seven kilometres of track will be renewed at different locations, including between Welsh’s Bridge and Rose Street level crossing in Inverness, Achanalt and Rosebank near Achnasheen, and between Strathcarron and Stromeferry.

Additionally, drainage improvements will be delivered through the renewal of a number of culverts between Dingwall, Achnasheen and Stromeferry, helping to cut the effect of adverse weather on the railway. 

Structural repairs and track renewal work will be carried out at several railway bridges, including Carron Viaduct.

In order for the work to go ahead safely and efficiently, no trains will be operating between Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh between 28 November to 18 December inclusive. Services will resume on 19 December.  

Gerry McQuade, capital delivery director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “This £9m investment will allow us to carry out a significant amount of work in a short period of time, helping us keep the railway safe, reliable and resilient for the future. 

“We know that closing the line will cause disruption and we’re sorry for the inconvenience. By bringing together a wide range of upgrades and repairs during one closure, we can complete this work as efficiently as possible and reduce the need for future unplanned disruption.”

McQuade added: “We’d like to thank passengers, communities and businesses along the route for their patience and understanding while we deliver these essential improvements.” 

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “When our colleagues at Network Rail deliver this project to improve the long-term reliability of the railway between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, our priority will be to keep customers moving and ensure they can continue to travel with confidence.  

“We know how important the Kyle line is to the communities it serves, so we’ll have a rail replacement plan in place to ensure customers can still travel reliably throughout the works.