TRAIN travellers can expect delays and queues as Queen Street Station closes for 20 weeks.

The third busiest station in Scotland will shut from Sunday March 20 to allow work to take place in the tunnel for the electrification of the Glasgow to Edinburgh line.

Every service that would normally depart and arrive into the seven platforms in the high level station will be re-routed, either through the low level or out of Glasgow Central.

Journey will take longer and some services have been reduced to allow the increased capacity through the low level.

Some passengers are being advised that taking the bus may be quicker on some routes.

Passengers travelling to Edinburgh should use the four trains an hour low level service via Airdrie and Bathgate which takes 70 minutes as the normal service via Falkirk High is unable to operate.

There will be a separate, diverted route for passengers travelling to Falkirk High, Polmont and Linlithgow.

Another, longer service operates from Central via Shotts and Carstairs taking up to 91 minutes.

The Glasgow suburban line to Anniesland via Maryhill will be reduced to an hourly service.

Passengers from Ashfield, Possilpark and Parkhouse, Gilshochill, Summerston, Maryhill and Kelvindale can either travel west to Anniesland and change trains to reach Queen Street low level or catch an eastbound train towards Falkirk Grahamston and change trains at Springburn for Glasgow Queen Street Low Level. However ScotRail said using buses during the disruption may be quicker for some.

Passengers from Bishopbriggs and Lenzie may also find local buses are quicker than the diverted services. Trains to and from Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa will still run every half hour but take 25 minutes extra and are expected to be busy at peak times.

First Glasgow will run extra buses at peak times providing more than 600 extra seats to and from both Bishopbriggs and Lenzie

Transport Minister Derek Mackay visited Glasgow Queen Street station today to see final preparations being made ahead of the 20 week closure of the station’s high-level tunnel, which begins this Sunday (March 20).

During the work, diversions will mean most journeys take around 25 minutes longer and customers are being urged to arrive 10 minutes earlier at the station.

At peak times, queuing systems will be in operation at Dundas Street and Hanover Street with passengers using one of these two entrances depending on their destination.

During his visit Mr Mackay was shown how passengers will access the platforms and met with ScotRail staff who will be on hand to assist customers throughout the diversions.

Queen Street tunnel is being upgraded to allow faster, longer, greener trains to run between Edinburgh and Glasgow and to replace ageing track through the kilometre-long structure.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said the work would improve services for passengers.

He said: “The closure of the Queen Street station high-level tunnel marks a further significant milestone in our £5 billion programme of investment in Scotland’s Railways and will pave the way for the introduction of a new generation of electric trains for the central belt of Scotland.”

He urged passengers to visit the ScotRail website to get up to date with the changes to journeys.

Full details of all routes are available at www.scotrail.co.uk.