Rugby fans heading to Murrayfield this weekend are being urged to plan their journeys carefully due to vital engineering works in the Stirling area.

Network Rail engineers will be working to deliver a range of signalling and track enhancements between Stirling and Larbert this Sunday (February 24).

The projects, worth £12m, will see out-dated signalling systems renewed and a key junction linking the Alloa line to the main Stirling line remodelled. These enhancements are vital to the running of a safe and reliable railway and cannot be postponed.

The engineering works will only affect services via Stirling / Perth – all other routes to Edinburgh from major cities such as Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen are unaffected.

The following service alterations will apply:

Glasgow Queen St - Aberdeen

Services will be diverted and will not call at stations between and including Larbert - Perth. Services will additionally call at Linlithgow and Inverkeithing. A replacement bus service will operate between Stirling - Dundee.

Glasgow Queen St - Inverness / Elgin

Services will be diverted and will not call at stations between and including Larbert - Perth. A replacement bus service will operate between Larbert - Dundee.

Edinburgh - Stirling / Dunblane / Perth

A replacement bus service will operate between Falkirk Grahamston, Stirling, Dunblane and Perth.

Glasgow Queen Street - Alloa

A replacement bus service will operate between Falkirk Grahamston, Larbert, Stirling and Alloa.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “These engineering works are part of a major investment in the long-term future of Scotland’s railway and they are being delivered on a Sunday to limit their impact on what is a busy weekday commuter route.

“We are working closely with train operators to limit disruption to journeys and to deliver these enhancements as quickly and efficiently as possible.”