Network Rail to start £13m West Highland Line renewals during nine-day November closure

Network Rail will close the West Highland Line between Crianlarich and Fort William and Mallaig for nine days from 9 November to carry out £13m of track, drainage and structures work between Helensburgh, Fort William and Mallaig.

The infrastructure owner said on 6 October that the programme would start next month, with buses replacing trains between Crianlarich and Fort William / Mallaig from Monday 9 to Tuesday 17 November.

Engineers will renew more than 4km of worn track at locations including near Arisaig and Corrour, in the Loch nan Uamh and Beasdale tunnels, at Arrochar & Tarbet station and on Gleann Mama Viaduct, Network Rail said.

Gerry McQuade, capital delivery director at Network Rail Scotland, said: "We know closing the line isn't ideal at any time, but it gives us the opportunity to carry out a large amount of work in one go, rather than causing repeated disruption over a longer period."

The work

Drainage improvements and culvert renewals, including between Glen Douglas and Arrochar & Tarbet, are intended to make the railway more resilient to flooding and extreme weather, according to Network Rail.

Structures work covers the refurbishment of Fassfern Bridge near Spean Bridge and the removal of a redundant bridge near Loch Eil. Vegetation will also be cleared between Fort William and Arisaig to reduce the risk of disruption.

In its earlier announcement of the £13m programme, Network Rail said the work would tackle wear and tear across the route, improve its resilience to severe weather and reduce the likelihood of infrastructure-related delays and restrictions.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: "The West Highland Line is an important lifeline for the communities it serves and one of the most iconic railway routes in Scotland, so this significant investment by Network Rail is very welcome."

ScotRail said a rail replacement plan would be in place and asked customers to check their journey before travelling.

Previous programmes

In November 2024 Network Rail completed a £3.2m programme of track renewal, structures and drainage work between Craigendoran and Crianlarich on time after a four-day closure, replacing over a mile of railway between Helensburgh Upper and Glen Falloch.

Network Rail said in November 2025 that it had delivered a £15m project between Crianlarich and Fort William during a nine-day closure, replacing around 10km of rail and more than 9,000 sleepers and renewing five culverts, a bridge near Corrour and Feith footbridge.

Programme	Value	Closure
2024 (Craigendoran to Crianlarich)	£3.2m	four days
2025 (Crianlarich to Fort William)	£15m	nine days
2026 (Helensburgh to Mallaig)	£13m	nine days

The 2026 works are the first of the three to extend along the full route to Mallaig.

Funding context

Transport Scotland's Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 7 sets out estimated grant and fixed track access charge funding of £4.2bn from Scottish Ministers to contribute to Network Rail's net expenditure in Scotland between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2029.

The West Highland Line runs from Glasgow Queen Street, with ScotRail services continuing through Fort William and Glenfinnan to Mallaig. Glenfinnan viaduct, 17 miles from Fort William, is the longest concrete viaduct in Scotland at 1,000ft, according to Scotland's Railway.

Network Rail has not named a contractor for the 2026 works in its announcements. The line is due to reopen after Tuesday 17 November.