ANYONE who has had the misfortune to drive into East Kilbride, Eaglesham and other parts of the Glasgow south hinterland of late will have noticed something slightly odd.

When I say slightly odd, what I mean to say is extremely infuriating and I only use that term because it is bad patter to swear in a column.

Gridlock has ensued across vast swathes of the heavily populated area which is causing no end of grief for locals and visitors alike.

The problem, which you might not expect, is the electrification of the railway line from East Kilbride to Glasgow which means the line is out of action until May.

Fancy new bridges and tracks take a bit of time you see.

Read More: Endemic complacency at heart of latest CalMac ferry crisis

To be fair, the engineers are cracking on with their bit with double tracks already in place and various new bridges also appearing.

What has this got to do with gridlock on the roads you may ask, with some justification, trains after all don't use the road network.

But in someone's infinite wisdom. a series of road improvements are taking place simultaneously to the track being electrified.

This has seen several road closures, including access to the Glasgow Southern Orbital road, which means traffic is getting diverted through the conservation village of Eaglesham.

The village, I am reliably informed, resembles one of the........

© Herald Scotland