Media centre

Wednesday 26 Jan 2005

£2.5 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR ESK VALLEY LINE

Region & Route:

The railway track between Sleights and Whitby is to be replaced in February.  The £2.5 million project will not only provide a smoother journey for passengers but also enable the existing weight restriction, which prevents the passage of steam trains, to be removed allowing these giants of a golden age to return to the historic coastal town of Whitby. Dyan Crowther, Route Director, Network Rail said: “This is a particularly complex project because this is a single line with a number of tight curves.  Replacing the majority of the existing jointed track with continuous welded rail will provide a smoother journey for passengers.  The work will also allow a speed restriction of 20mph to be raised to the linespeed of 30mph.” Materials for the renewal will be brought to site by train, these include: ·         10,000 tonnes of ballast ·         3000 steel sleepers ·         1000 concrete sleepers ·         700 hardwood sleepers ·         7000 yards of new rail Work will take place between 4 and 14 February during which time some alternative travel arrangements will be in place.  Passengers wishing to travel are advised to contact Northern customer relations on 08456 00 11 59. Dyan Crowther added: “Although passenger trains will not be running during this work there will be a large number of engineering trains coming into and out of the work site.  I would like to take this opportunity to remind members of the public of the dangers of trespassing on the railway, stay safe and stay off the line.”