Rail services through Kilmarnock are on schedule to resume as normal on Wednesday 3 January 2007 following a fire at the signalling centre on Christmas night. Engineers have worked around the clock to restore services since the fire, which British Transport Police (BTP) believe was started deliberately.

David Simpson Network Rail’s Route Director for Scotland said: “This deliberate act of vandalism virtually destroyed the signalling centre and meant disruption for passengers in and around Kilmarnock. We are working closely with BTP to apprehend those responsible.

“Restoring services was a massive task but many engineers gave up their Christmas holiday in order to return them to normal as quickly as possible. I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication.”

A First ScotRail spokesman said: "We have been working closely with Network Rail over the past week and are delighted that this hard work has been successful in restoring our services. Many of our customers will be returning to work on 3 January after the festive break and we are delighted to be able to offer them a full service on their return."