Moncrieffe Tunnel
A 175-year-old Perthshire railway tunnel has been given a new lease of life in a £6m project delivered by Network Rail.
Trains travelling through Moncrieffe tunnel, south of Perth, will now be running on rails supported by recycled plastic sleepers.
More than 3,690 new plastic sleepers were laid during engineering work to renew the track which was successfully completed on Tuesday, February 27, following three short closures of the line during February.
It’s the first time that composite sleepers – which lay on top of the ballast, hold up the rails and keep them the correct distance apart – have been used at such volume anywhere on Scotland’s Railway.
Trains couldn’t run while work took place but have now returned following the £6m investment in the project, which will keep the railway reliable for years to come.
During the work, 10,860 tonnes of ballast, around 6000m of new rails, and 448 concrete sleepers were also laid on both lines.
At over 1000m long, Moncrieffe tunnel - which first opened in May 1848 - is the fifth longest and one of the oldest railway tunnels in Scotland.
[Note that the railway uses the spelling Moncrieffe, although the local spelling is Moncreiffe.]
Location: Moncrieffe Tunnel
Original line: Scottish Central Railway
Photographer: Network Rail
Contact photographer: Network Rail
Date: 02/2024
Image number: 89354
Other photographs of Moncrieffe Tunnel on RailScot
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