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Tuesday 18 Jan 2005

£1.3M FOR NEW MERSEYRAIL TRACK

Region & Route:

The railway track between Waterloo and Seaforth & Litherland stations on Merseyside is to be replaced over the next month in a £1.3m project designed to produce a smoother journey for passengers and cut down on maintenance for both Network Rail and Merseyrail Electrics. Old jointed track laid on wooden sleepers is to be replaced by continuously welded rails on new concrete sleepers. A total of 4,216 yds of new rail and 2,950 sleepers will be used, all of which will be embedded in 5,100 tonnes of new ballast (the grey stone chippings the track sits on). The net result of the work will be a smoother and quieter journey for rail passengers – gone will be the familiar clickerty-clack of the train on the track – and less wear and tear on both the train’s wheels and the track itself. Access to the worksite will be through Seaforth station or a private premise off Sandy Road. The old track will be taken away on engineering trains and the new materials will be delivered to site by train. On-track machines will carry out the work but there will also be some smaller equipment and temporary lighting in use. Up to 30 Network Rail and First Engineering staff will be involved in the project and preparatory work starts this weekend (22 January). The bulk of the work will be carried out over three successive weekends from 29 January through to 13 February, after which there will be some minor work needed to finish off the project by 21 February. Rail passengers should check their weekend travel plans at their local Merseyrail station or call national rail enquiries on 08457 48 49 50.