£15m to improve the railway at Whiteball tunnel

Tuesday 10 Dec 2013

£15m to improve the railway at Whiteball tunnel

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Western; | Wales & Western

Passengers between Tiverton and Taunton are set to benefit from a better performing and more reliable railway as Network Rail invests in a major scheme at Whiteball tunnel.

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From 18 January, Network Rail will be carrying out works to repair Whiteball tunnel to prevent the aging structure from deteriorating. In addition, work will be carried out to expand the drainage system and to improve the embankment around the area as part of a wider programme to alleviate flood risks posed by extreme weather.

Around three miles of track will be renewed and seven units of switches and crossings relaid separately at Taunton and Tiverton to enable trains to travel at a higher speed of 80mph. This effort will significantly help boost rail performance whilst complementing Network Rail’s long-term aspiration to improve services between Bristol and Exeter.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail’s director of asset management on the Western route, said: “We are carrying out essential improvement works on a vital rail link and on one of the more popular freight and commuter routes in the south west of England. The programme also forms a key building block to support our long-term vision to improve journey times between Bristol and Exeter.

“Unfortunately we have to close the railway temporarily to enable us to carry out this complex piece of work safely and efficiently within a confined space. To minimise disruptions, we have carefully designed our work by integrating three separate projects into one programme, which enable us to tackle the tunnel and the railway together without having to close the railway many times.”

The railway between Tiverton and Taunton will be closed between 18 January and 10 February but there will be alternative services provided for by First Great Western. Network Rail and First Great Western will also be providing additional car parking spaces at Taunton railway station to minimise any potential disruption to passengers.

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Notes to editors

Whiteball tunnel is a 1000m long Victorian brick arch structure built in 1844 which has deteriorated over the years. To prevent potential brick fall the tunnel lining was previously relined with wire mesh; during this railway closure a new concrete lining will be applied to the worst areas of the brick arch to prevent future deterioration.

The Tiverton end of the tunnel has also been identified as a potential flood site, as it was amongst the locations affected by the extreme weather condition in December 2012. The track was flooded owing to excess water spilling from the cess as well as blocking the culverts in the area.

To minimise the impact of our work on the environment, Network Rail has also installed environmental fencing to protect Great Crested Newts found in the area due to the proximity of a local pond known to support this protected species. This exclusion fence is built along the boundary of the worksite and comes with a license from Natural England, allowing the work to take place.

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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.

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