Train commuters are being warned that a tunnel on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line will close for six weeks this summer for Network Rail to carry out work to prepare the structure for electrification.

The six-week long closure of the Winchburgh tunnel, near Linlithgow, is part of the Scottish Government-funded, £742m Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) which will electrify the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street line by 2016 - allowing the introduction of faster, greener and quieter electric services on the route.

The tunnel will close from Saturday, June 13 to Monday, July 27.

As part of the 44-day project, engineers will be lowering and relaying the two lines of track through the 330m tunnel and installing equipment to carry the overhead power lines needed for the electrification of the railway.

The tunnel will need to remain closed while engineers work 24-hours a day to deliver the work as quickly and safely as possible.

Network Rail, Transport Scotland and ScotRail have worked closely to ensure that a temporary timetable is in place during the work to minimise disruption and provide alternative travel options for passengers.

From tomorrow, information can be found at www.scotrail.co.uk/winchburgh and passengers are urged to allow more time for their normal journey, to plan ahead and to check before travelling.

As well as the dedicated webpage, passengers are also being advised of the changes via leaflets and posters at stations along the line of route, through radio advertising and social media.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "The Winchburgh tunnel works are a major milestone in the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme and will take us one step closer to the electrification of our busiest route.

"Once complete, EGIP will deliver a 20 per cent reduction in journey times and 30 per cent more capacity within four years, as well as more comfortable, efficient and reliable trains.

"The closure at Winchburgh will mean a change from usual operations on the route. However, ScotRail and Network Rail are working closely to minimise disruption and ensure that passengers can still travel between the two cities. This includes launching this major information drive three months ahead of the works to keep passengers informed."

David Dickson, Network Rail's route managing director for Scotland, added: "While we understand the inconvenience the closure of the tunnel will cause to some passengers, this is the safest and most effective way of delivering what is a very complex piece of engineering work.

"Our engineers will be operating around the clock over this 44-day period to complete this vital work and keep disruption to the railway to a minimum.

"The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme is a unique chance to modernise and enhance our railway and transform rail services across the central belt, creating a faster more resilient and more reliable network."

Temporary timetable

The timetable has been carefully designed to balance the needs of those who travel end-to-end on two routes: Glasgow-Falkirk High-Edinburgh, and Dunblane/Stirling-Edinburgh; while also catering for people who use intermediate stations.

Edinburgh-Glasgow trains via Falkirk High will start/terminate at Linlithgow between June 13 and July 26, with a mix of trains and replacement buses operating to Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley.

People who travel all the way between Glasgow and Edinburgh have three alternative routes - via Bathgate from Queen St Low Level, and via Shotts or Motherwell from Glasgow Central.

Services from Stirling/Dunblane-Edinburgh will be diverted and take longer, but will run direct.

As a result of this diversion, Edinburgh Park will be served by buses from the Glasgow/Dunblane direction.

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail's managing director, said: "We've designed a timetable that carefully balances the needs of all customers who use the affected routes. It provides the fairest practical solution - keeping as many people as possible on trains.

"Three other lines are available to people who travel end-to-end between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

"Passengers from Stirling/Dunblane have no alternative rail option so maintaining these connections was a really important consideration. We are grateful to customers for bearing with us during these major improvements."

M8 upgrade

The Winchburgh tunnel works will also coincide with the ongoing £500m M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project, which aims to tackle congestion problems on the A8/M8, M73, M74 and at key junctions including Raith (M74) and Shawhead (A725/A8).

Graeme Reid, Transport Scotland project sponsor for M8/73/74 Motorway Improvements Project, said: "EGIP forms part of the biggest ever package of improvements to our transport networks. Transport Scotland and their partners have a coordinated programme in place to minimise the impact on users.

"The M8 traffic management measures announced last week and the Winchburgh tunnel closure have both been scheduled to take place during the summer months when transport networks are traditionally quieter and also less likely to be further impacted by weather events.

"Transport Scotland has undertaken a detailed review with operators on our roads and railways to ensure minimal disruption. While people will be able to complete their journeys, they should factor disruption caused by these schemes into their travel plans."