RAILWAY lines through Alloa, Dunblane and Stirling have reopened following an eight day closure while a multi-million-pound upgrade was completed.

Work to prepare the railway for electrification started on Sunday, October 14 and finished on Monday, October 22.

Rail services are now operating as usual again.

Throughout the eight days 200 engineers worked over 30,000 hours to prepare the railway lines for the introduction of electric services from December.

The work is part of a Scottish Government programme to introduce new, longer, faster and greener trains throughout the Central Belt.

Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s delivery director, said: “We understand the inconvenience these works caused to some passengers and residents and we appreciate the patience they have shown while we delivered this vital element of our electrification programme.”