Glasgow Queen Street station tunnel is to reopen one day earlier than planned, ScotRail has confirmed.

Services were due to restart from Queen Street High Level station on the morning of August 8, following completion of the 20 week project. Services will now begin to be reintroduced from Sunday 7 August.

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance said: “I’m delighted to confirm that we will be able to reopen the Queen Street tunnel a day ahead of schedule.

“This has been an extraordinarily complex job. Our people have been working round the clock, often in really challenging circumstances, to get this job done. This has been one of the most significant pieces of work ever carried out on our railway. That we have managed to do it while still keeping people moving is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff.

“I’m incredibly grateful to our customers for the patience and understanding that they have shown over the course of the last five months. The work that we have been doing at Queen Street will deliver amazing benefits for our customers in the future. Our new faster, longer greener trains will be arriving in just over a year’s time, meaning more seats, shorter journey times with less impact on our environment.”

Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, said: “I am pleased that the work in Queen Street tunnel has completed on schedule and, like all rail passengers, I am looking forward to the resumption of normal services. I would like to thank the public for their patience during the closure.”

The return of trains to the station’s High Level platforms, paves the way for work to begin to transform Glasgow Queen Street station.  Subject to the relevant permissions, work will begin to redevelop the entire station later this year, and is due for completion in 2019.