A multi-million pound investment by Network Rail is to fund a major facelift of one of Glasgow's most visible derelict sites.

The £200 million spend in Cowlairs, by Springburn, was announced at a conference on Scotland’s Transport Infrastructure, Getting from A to B, today in Edinburgh. The project involves building a state of the art signalling centre and a maintenance depot where 450 members of staff will be based.

Announcing the investment, Simon Kirby, Network Rail's Director of Major Projects and Investment said: "This package of funding is Network Rail's biggest ever investment in Glasgow; it is a measure of our commitment to delivering a world class railway in Scotland."

Network Rail will invest in a new signalling centre to serve the West of Scotland, renewing the existing 45 year old system and relocating staff to custom-built 21st century facilities. The company will also build a new depot for maintenance staff who work around the clock to keep the railway running smoothly. The new, state of the art accommodation will replace a range of facilities that Network Rail inherited from maintenance companies when the company brought its maintenance operation in-house two year ago. 

Simon Kirby continued: "As commuters on the Glasgow to Edinburgh railway know, the rundown site at Cowlairs is a magnet for anti-social behaviour.  Network Rail's redevelopment of the site will transform this eyesore, regenerate a derelict brownfield site for the local community and bring great benefits to passengers by providing smoother, more reliable journeys." 

The £200 million project involves:
- £180 million to replace the existing signalling system serving the West of Scotland
- £12 million for a new state of the art signalling centre at Cowlairs
- £8 million to build a modern maintenance depot at Cowlairs
Site clearance is expected to begin in September, with construction beginning before the end of the year
The new West of Scotland signalling centre will initially replace the signalling centre at Glasgow Central; other signalling centres serving the West of Scotland will relocate to Cowlairs thereafter
The new maintenance depot will replace several existing depots around Glasgow including Cathcart, Cowlairs, Lenzie and Shields