Work started in January 2023 to deliver a £11.2m programme, part of a wider Scottish Government investment that will improve connectivity and enhance capacity for both passenger and freight trains.

As there is no 'turnback' facility at the station due to the current track layout, trains arriving at platforms 2 or 3 at Dunblane station have to continue north to use existing switches and crossings further along the line. This means the railway between Dunblane and Perth can become congested, constraining the timetable and network resilience during times of disruption.

In this final phase of the project, over two weekends in early September, Network Rail and its contractors (Rail Systems Alliance Scotland, Babcock and Arcadis) installed a new crossover section of track. No trains operated through the station during this time.

Once the new crossover comes into use next year, it will mean trains can depart from Platform 3 using this section of track when heading south from the station. This will help reduce the time it takes for a train to turn back towards Stirling by up to 13 minutes. In turn, this will free up capacity through the route and make services more reliable.

Chris Sharkey, Network Rail's senior programme manager, said: "The first two weekends in September saw the culmination of many months of work in allowing us to deliver this critical and final part of the project.

"Our engineers have carried out extensive preparatory works in advance of the crossover being craned into position. This includes installing new overhead line equipment and making modifications to platforms to support the signals for the new section of track.

"We appreciate the inconvenience our activity caused customers and those living closest to the railway over those two weekends.

"I want to thank people for their continued patience as we completed this work, which will deliver more reliable services for passengers and freight by reducing the impact of future unplanned disruption on the route."

ScotRail had a replacement bus service in operation over both weekends. Customers were advised to check before they travel via www.scotrail.co.uk and  www.nationalrail.co.uk

If you have any questions about this work, you can contact Network Rail's 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.  For the latest information and progress updates, follow on Twitter @NetworkRailScot.