Media centre

Tuesday 28 Mar 2006

£2.5 MILLION SIGNALS IMPROVEMENTS FOR PASSENGERS

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Passengers who use the West Coast Main Line are set to benefit from a £2.5 million investment that will pave the way for faster, more reliable train services. Work will begin this weekend to replace the switches and crossings – the rails that allow trains to transfer between tracks – at Gretna Junction. These improvements are the first part of an upgrade of the Gretna signalling system.  When the work is complete, engineers will be able to raise the line speed from 90mph to 125mph along the stretch of line. Route Director, David Simpson, said: “The work to replace the switches and crossings at Gretna Junction is the first part of a package which will see the signalling system renewed and upgraded. It will ultimately mean trains will be able to travel at 125mph, so that passengers benefit from shorter journey times and increased reliability.” Engineers will be working over the next six weekends from 1 April to 7 May. The nature of the work means the line will be closed during this time. Network Rail is working closely with the train operators, First ScotRail, Virgin Trains and GNER, who have organised alternative transport for affected services at weekends. A coach / bus service will operate between Carlisle and Annan, and between Carlisle, Lockerbie, Edinburgh, Motherwell and Glasgow.  Passengers can contact National Rail Enquiries for service information on 08457 48 49 50.