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Train passengers heading through Oxenholme, Cumbria, are being urged to check before they travel over the early May bank holiday weekends as Network Rail's ‘orange army’ upgrades the railway.

With over 96% of the railway network unaffected by Network Rail planned improvement work, this coming bank holiday will be one of the least disruptive bank holidays for railway travel for many years.

As part of its £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan, Network Rail has completed a £29million upgrade to the track and foundation of the railway between Basingstoke and Eastleigh in half the usual time by using state-of-the-art track renewal and ballast cleaning machines.

• 25km of track replaced
• 64,000 tonnes of ballast replaced
• 38,000 new railway sleepers laid

The Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester reopened today (Monday 11 April) after Network Rail completed vital restoration work to protect Reddish viaduct for the next century.

Passengers are being reminded to check before they travel as upgrade work to prepare Newport station for a new fleet of electric trains begins on Monday 11 April.

A new and improved bridge over the railway on Station Road, Shrivenham, was opened today (Friday 8 April) after Network Rail’s work to construct the bridge as part its Great Western Electrification Programme was completed on time.

The first phase of the reconstruction of Bridge Street Road Bridge in Newport city centre took place at the weekend (2 and 3 April 2016) with a temporary bridge installed as part of the essential upgrade work to prepare the bridge for a brand new fleet of electric trains.

As work continues to install the eagerly anticipated new footbridge over High Street level crossing in Lincoln, Network Rail today announced that it will progress plans for a bridge over the neighbouring Brayford Wharf crossing.