Tuesday 1 Dec 2015
Manchester to Stalybridge electrification one step closer as Ashton-under-Lyne bridge rebuild completes over three weeks early
- Region & Route:
- | North West & Central
Faster, more frequent train services for the north-west are a step closer after Network Rail completed work to rebuild a railway bridge in Ashton-under-Lyne more than three weeks ahead of schedule.
The bridge at Mossley Road was shut on 27 July 2015 for reconstruction to provide enough clearance for overhead lines to be installed to power the electric trains which will pass underneath it. Bridge rebuilds are an essential part of the electrification of the railway between Manchester and Stalybridge which will provide passengers with a faster, more reliable and efficient railway.
Aisling Wall, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “The new bridges being built in the area are an important part of our Railway Upgrade Plan which is delivering an electrified railway across large parts of the north west of England. It will provide passengers with better rail services which are faster, greener and more frequent as well as helping to boost the region's economy. I would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience while we completed this essential work.”
Network Rail has now reconstructed four road bridges in Ashton-under-Lyne and lowered sections of track under a number of bridges as part of work required for electrification.
Councillor Peter Robinson said: “I am delighted to re-open another bridge in Tameside ahead of schedule as part of this key infrastructure project. I would like to thank Network Rail and J.Murphy & Sons for all of their hard work, the team on site have been a pleasure to work with.”
The new bridges will not need any major work for over 100 years, benefitting the local road and rail network with limited future maintenance. Electrification of the railway between Manchester and Stalybridge is part of a £1bn investment to improve the rail network and helping to support economic growth across the north west of England.
The bridges are being built on behalf of Network Rail by J. Murphy & Sons.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
07740 782954
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk