Scotland’s rail freight network receives £7m boost

Network Rail has delivered £7 million worth of rail improvements in North Lanarkshire, strengthening one of the most essential rail freight corridors in Scotland.

Mossend serves as a critical hub for moving goods across the country. It is home to three major freight depots and handled more than 80% of the country’s rail freight in 2025.

Over a nine-day closure during the festive period multiple upgrades were carried out, aimed at improving reliability and performance for freight, alongside passenger services. The line opened as planned on Saturday 3 January.

Key improvements included the replacement of ageing track, renewing seven critical connections, installing 450 yards of new drainage and upgrading signalling and overhead lines.

A further £250,000 in investment came from Network Rail’s Targeted Performance Fund to boost efficiency at Mossend.

As a result of the upgrade, trains can now enter and depart the freight depots at 15mph, three times faster than before, enabling them to clear the area more quickly and improving overall performance at this section of the network.

The project was delivered in collaboration with freight operators DB Cargo, GB Railfreight, Freightliner, Colas Rail and Direct Rail Services.

Alexandra Herdman, Senior Policy Manager at Logistics UK said: “Given the importance of rail freight in moving critical goods around the country and supporting economic growth, it’s great to see investment being poured into the network.

“Logistics is one of Scotland’s largest employers and contributes £7.8 billion to its economy alongside enabling all of its goods exports including drink, machinery and fish and shellfish.

“To enable further growth, we’re calling for the Scottish government to develop a freight and logistics plan that ensures key freight transport corridors are maintained.”