THE main rail line linking Glasgow to London is to undergo almost £40million in improvements.

Work on the West Coast Main Line will include overhead line improvements, as well as new fencing to stop trespassers.

Network Rail said the projects, some of which are already under way, would improve the punctuality of train services and reliability of the infrastructure.

The move comes after Network Rail was warned by rail regulators about poor performance on some lines.

NR route managing director Dyan Crowther said: "We are not satisfied with the current performance of our infrastructure on the southern end of the West Coast main line.

"This line has seen tremendous growth in traffic and passengers over the last five years and more trains mean that if something goes wrong, knock-on effects can be significant.

"We have identified almost £40m worth of investment aimed at improving performance by targeting some of the most common causes of delay."

RMT union boss Bob Crow welcomed the investment.

He added: "However, £40m is not a huge sum compared to the money required to tackle the backlog of maintenance on Britain's railways.

"And if we put a stop to Virgin milking the route for every penny they can extract we could free up the funds needed to make a real difference."

Virgin Trains chief operating officer Chris Gibb said: "I am pleased that NR has decided to progress all the recommendations and make this investment.

"Already we are starting to see that investment taking place but both NR and the train operators need to keep the pressure on to ensure that lasting improvements in performance are achieved."

Virgin Trains, which operates the West Coast main line, announced earlier this month it was taking action against Network Rail over what it claims is breach of contract concerning train punctuality.

The case will be heard by a rail industry body – the Access Disputes Resolution Committee.

rebecca.gray@eveningtimes.co.uk