Passengers are set to benefit from more reliable journeys thanks to a £6.25 million investment in the East Coast Main Line, which serves passengers travelling between Edinburgh and London.

Network Rail is spending the money to renew more than 13,000 yards of track in ten locations, in Scotland.  The work, which begins on Saturday 16 September 2006, will include replacing the rail, ballast and sleepers to ensure the future reliability of the line and reduce the need for future maintenance.

David Simpson, Route Director, said: “This investment demonstrates Network Rail’s commitment to delivering a world class railway in Scotland; it will bring major benefits to passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line, with smoother journeys and more reliable services. "We have been planning this work for more than a year and worked closely with the train operators to ensure disruption to passengers is kept to a minimum. Our experienced team will be working around the clock until the job is done."

The ten locations to be renewed are Prestonpans, Drem, Portobello, Reston, Cockburnspath, Monktonhall, Mungoswells, Musselburgh, Prora and Edinburgh.  Works will commence at Prestonpans and Drem on Saturday 16 September and finish in Edinburgh and Prora early in the morning on Monday 6 November, when normal services will resume.

Full dates of renewal works and locations are. .
Prestonpans 16 September to 18 September
Drem 16 September to 18 September and 23 September to 25 September
Reston 23 September to 25 September
Cockburnspath 30 September to 2 October
Mungoswells 7 October to 9 October and 14 October to 16 October
Musselburgh 21 October to 23 October
Calton North Tunnel 28 October to 30 October and 4 November to 6 November
Prora 28 October to 30 October and 4 November to 6 November

In each case works are set to be completed in time for peak morning services on the Monday.