Thursday 12 Sep 2024
£9.2m East Coast Main Line track and drainage upgrades this weekend
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
- | Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
Rail passengers travelling between Newcastle and Edinburgh are being urged to check their journey before travelling as three weekends of track and drainage work begin on the East Coast Main Line this Saturday (14 September).
Network Rail Scotland is investing £9.2m on vital improvements that will see the line closed between Edinburgh and Berwick each Saturday and Sunday until Monday, 30 September.
On Sunday 22 and 29 September, the Borders Railway will also be closed between Edinburgh and Gorebridge to allow work to take place in the Portobello area.
Engineers will install just over 5 miles of new railway track at several locations between Edinburgh and Berwick. At the same time, engineers will improve over a mile of drainage at Drem.
When the work is complete, East Coast Main Line passengers will benefit from smoother and more reliable journeys.
To keep passengers on the move, a limited train service will divert around the closure with rail replacement coaches** also in operation between Edinburgh and Newcastle during the weekend work.
Ross Moran, route director, Network Rail Scotland said: “Renewing the track on the East Coast Main Line will improve reliability and performance on this busy cross-border route, delivering smoother journeys for passengers.
“We know there’s never a good time to close a railway and we’re grateful to passengers and our neighbours for their patience.
“Our engineers will work around the clock over these three weekends to complete these projects quickly, with as little disruption as possible.
A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, ScotRail, Lumo, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express said: “Our teams will be working hard to make sure customers reach their destination as quickly as possible while these important upgrades are carried out.
“The latest travel information can be found on our websites and our social media channels. We would encourage all customers to check their journey before they travel.”
Passengers can also check if their journey is affected at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
**Rail replacement coach overview
CrossCountry:
Buses replace trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
LNER:
Trains will operate a reduced service to and from Scotland via a diversionary route between Newcastle and Edinburgh with journey times extended up to two hours.
Other services between London and the North will start / terminate at Newcastle.
A rail replacement coach service will be provided between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Dunbar and Edinburgh.
Lumo:
Trains will operate between London Kings Cross and Newcastle only.
On Saturday, the 20:56 London Kings Cross to Edinburgh is cancelled throughout.
Northern:
Buses will replace trains between Newcastle and Morpeth / Chathill.
TransPennine Express:
Buses will replace trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Detailed information about the changes to passenger journeys for each train operator can be found at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/status-and-disruptions/
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Eddie Harbinson
Media Manager
Network Rail
edward.harbinson@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
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