Wednesday 24 Jul 2013
A final message from Trent Power Signal Box - 1969-2013
- Region & Route:
Trent Power Signal Box bowed out after 44 years of service on Friday, as the Nottingham resignalling project got underway.
Train 5D05, an empty stock movement from Eastcroft depot to Derby, was the final service, signalled out just before 11pm.
The first major task of the project was the installation of temporary interlocking at Beeston to allow trains from the suburb of Nottingham to begin running on Monday morning.
Network Rail programme manager Dave Scarth said: “I came here eight years ago to set up the East Midlands resignalling programme, when one of our main aims was to wind down Trent PSB. Pulling the switch last week was the culmination of that and now we can move forward with the rest of the programme. We’re now relaying the track layouts at the west end of the station and we are on schedule.”
Beeston has an hourly service to London throughout the disruption, along with trains to Derby.
Work has also begun renewing level crossings to the east of the station and construction on the new platform 4 is also underway, with plant transferred to the island platform by a temporary bridge over the tracks.
Bus services began at 4.21am on Saturday, with the first service heading to East Midlands Parkway. They are running well at around 30-40 buses per hour through the day.
Notes to editors
From July 20 until August 25, Network Rail will be working on a £100m project to completely renew the railway around the city, relaying more than a mile of track and a series of junctions, constructing a new platform, closing three signal boxes and two level crossings, and erecting more than 140 new signals.
The work will bring a faster and more reliable railway infrastructure to complement the Nottingham Hub project. This will deliver bigger and better station facilities at Nottingham railway station, and will open in early 2014.
Funding for the scheme comes from Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation.
The resignalling is part of a wider scheme, which will see the station’s historic porte cochere turned into a new entrance hall, and a southern entrance constructed. This will link to the Nottingham tram station, being built on a bridge over the railway.
Network Rail is working in partnership with Nottingham City Council and East Midlands Trains on the Hub station project itself. Construction will conclude in early 2014. Nottingham’s tram project is due for completion in late 2014.
Nottingham Resignalling at a glance:
1 new platform in the station.
143 new signals.
6 miles of new track.
3 signal boxes and Trent power signalbox closed and replaced with 2 new workstations at Derby signalling centre.
2 level crossings renewed
2 level crossings closed and replaced with footbridges.
All signalling is designed with electrification in mind so disruption will be reduced when the wires come to Nottingham.
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