Three-mile fence along the West Highland railway completed

Network Rail has completed the four-month project along one of Scotland's most scenic train routes.

By Ross Hempseed

February 28 2023, 2:35 pm

New fencing along the West Highland Line will keep livestock off the tracks. Image: Network Rail.

Network Rail has installed more than three miles of new fencing along the West Highland Line between Craggan and Arrochar.

Lasting four months, the project was to install robust fencing designed to keep livestock off the railway tracks, after regular calls were made about animals on the line.

The West Highland Line is a popular route, travelling from Glasgow to Oban or Mallaig, and is considered one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world.

Along the steep eastern banks of Loch Long, which the line runs parallel to, the location required 20 tons of new lighter-weight fencing to be dropped by helicopter.

New fencing is tough enough to keep livestock from wandering onto the tracks and causing delays and disruption to rail services.

The West Highland Line runs parallel along the east bank of Loch Long on its way to Oban/Mallaig. Image: Network Rail.

Sam McIlvaney, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “Inadequate fencing meant that livestock kept getting onto the track at this location which led to regular calls on staff time to safely remove the animals and return them to the farmer.

“This created a safety risk for both staff and passengers and caused disruption to services.

“The challenge of renewing the fencing at this location meant that we had to look at different ways to plan and deliver this work.

“The helicopter offered a great solution to reduce the time and risk involved and to get materials to the site in a way that is time-efficient and cost-effective.

“We designed and delivered the project with the support of Scotland’s Air Operations team, neighbouring landowners and our contractors QTS, who have all worked with us to make this possible.”