The line between Glasgow Central and East Kilbride has reopened after work on a £143 million scheme to electrify the railway, which has also gained a rebuilt station.

Hairmyres station, costing £16 million, opened with the rest of the line with the start of summer timetables on Sunday. It is 600m west of its old site, and convenient for Hairmyres Hospital.

It also has a new £7.2 million transport interchange which was built in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The interchange includes 500 park and ride spaces and bus stops.

The 16-week closure allowed Network Rail to complete other work including laying new track, upgrading signalling and installing 22km of overheard power lines in preparation for electrification. New footbridges have been provided at Busby, Clarkston and Giffnock stations, while the railway bridge over East Kilbride Road in Busby was also renewed.

Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘It is a pleasure to witness years of planning and project delivery come to fruition with the opening of the new Hairmyres station. It is a clear example of this Scottish Government’s continued commitment to investing in Scotland’s railway and the benefits that this can bring to local communities.

‘Making rail more attractive is a fundamental part of encouraging greater public transport use and this latest opening is an exciting milestone as we move towards the completion of the East Kilbride electrification later this year.’