Wednesday 12 Apr 2006
BASINGSTOKE GETS THE GREEN LIGHT WITH £130 MILLION INVESTMENT
- Region & Route:
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Southern: Wessex
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Southern
Rail passengers in the Basingstoke area are set to benefit from smoother journeys and fewer delays thanks to a £130m investment from Network Rail.
The project, which is part of Network Rail’s £1.5bn investment in signalling across the country in the next three years, will see the modernisation of signalling equipment along a 60 mile section of track from Grateley to Farnborough and Mortimer to Litchfield Tunnel (north of Micheldever).
As part of the project, which starts in May, a new signal control centre will be built at Basingstoke and hundreds of pieces of equipment will be replaced. In addition, Network Rail will take the opportunity to reduce delays for passengers even further by installing new systems at Basingstoke station and remodelling the Great Western Junction so that trains can run faster.
Network Rail Route Director, David Pape said: “We’ve already achieved a massive 30% reduction in national delays since Network Rail was created and this work will generate even more efficiencies in the region. Basingstoke is an extremely important transport hub, yet its signalling dates back to the last time England won the World Cup. The £130m we are investing will have far-reaching and positive results for passengers, delivering better services and cutting delays.”
James Burt, South West Trains’ Operations Director, said: “We are working together with Network Rail to provide a railway service fit for the 21st century. We are sorry for any disruption caused, but rest assured we are doing everything in our power to get our passengers to their destinations”
Network Rail is working with train operating companies to ensure that where there is disruption, passengers will be fully informed, and replacement transport will be provided. For further travel advice, passengers are advised to consult the South West Trains website (
www.southwesttrains.co.uk). Alternative travel arrangements are also available from National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
About Network Rail
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.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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