Network Rail lifts £5m footbridge into place at Cardenden station in Fife

Network Rail has lifted the steel structure of a new £5m footbridge into place at Cardenden station in Fife, a step in the £311.5m programme to electrify the county's railway for battery-electric trains.

The infrastructure owner said on 5 October 2026 that drone footage from the weekend showed the span being lifted above the tracks. Once complete, the bridge will give step-free access between the platforms through two new lifts.

The structure has been built higher than the existing footbridge to leave room for overhead wires through the station, Network Rail said. Those wires will power the battery-electric trains due to be introduced in Fife.

Michael McArthur, project manager at Network Rail Scotland, said: "The new bridge will help us create a more accessible, modern environment while preparing the railway for electrification." He added that Cardenden has served passengers for nearly 180 years.

What happens next

With the span in position, teams will now fit out the bridge and install and commission the lifts, Network Rail said. The bridge is due to open to passengers in spring 2027.

The old footbridge stays in use until then and will be removed once the new one opens. Scotland's Railway, the joint Network Rail Scotland and ScotRail body, said the Cardenden footbridge project would take around nine months, with the existing bridge kept in place so passengers can still cross between platforms throughout.

Cardenden has a second job under way at the same time. Scotland's Railway said Network Rail is replacing the bridge deck at Cardenden Road (Old Bridge), with work scheduled from 17 August to 18 December 2026 under a road and pedestrian diversion.

The October blockade

Separately, Network Rail is running 18 days of engineering work across Fife in October 2026. The company said engineers would carry out bridge replacements, track and signalling upgrades and other improvements to clear the way for new overhead power lines.

Bridges at Bennochy Road in Kirkcaldy, Muriespot near Coaltown of Balgonie and Main Street in Thornton are being demolished and rebuilt during the closures, and the Cardenden Road bridge is being upgraded. Engineers are also installing foundations for overhead line masts and making track and signalling changes.

The work is split into three closures: Inverkeithing to Thornton North from 10 to 20 October, Thornton North, Cupar and Hilton Junction from 20 to 24 October, and Lochgelly to Glenrothes from 24 to 28 October.

Network Rail said no trains would run via Kirkcaldy from Saturday 10 to Friday 23 October, with some CrossCountry, LNER and ScotRail services revised and rail replacement buses operating. Buses will replace ScotRail trains between Cowdenbeath and Leven from Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 October.

McArthur said in July 2026 that the project paves the way for battery-electric trains on one of Scotland's busiest rail routes.

The wider programme

Network Rail said the Scottish Government is investing £311.5m to electrify 118km of the railway in Fife and introduce new battery-electric trains, reducing reliance on diesel and cutting emissions.

Scotland's Railway said the first phase of the programme, between Haymarket and Dalmeny, is well advanced and includes bridge reconstruction and installation of overhead wires. Its project timeline records a nine-day engineering block on that section completed in January 2026.

The Fife scheme sits within a wider package announced by Transport Scotland: a £342m Scottish Government investment to electrify the Fife and Borders lines and procure 69 new trains. Transport Scotland said the two programmes together cover around 140km of electrification, and that ScotRail expected to issue a contract notice for the suburban battery-electric fleets in autumn 2025.

Katie Vollbracht, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said electrifying the Fife and Borders lines "is a significant step forward in our plans for a better and decarbonised railway".

The Cardenden Road deck replacement is scheduled to finish on 18 December 2026, with the new station footbridge due to open in spring 2027.