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Tuesday 31 Mar 2015

Easter investment means changes to services between Bescot Stadium and Rugeley Trent Valley

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Ongoing work as part of the electrification of the railway between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley will take place over Easter as Network Rail continues its investment in the West Midlands.

The electrification project, which is due to be completed by December 2017, will allow electric trains to run between Birmingham New Street and Rugeley via the Cannock Lines providing passengers with a more reliable, efficient and greener service.

The work over Easter includes lowering track on the approach to Walsall station, through Park Street Tunnel, and rebuilding platform 1 at Walsall station. Track will also be lowered at Forest Lane, Canal Aqueduct and Bloxwich Road.

Lowering the track - combined with Network Rail’s bridge rebuilding programme – provides the necessary clearance to install the overhead lines that will power the electric trains.

The Easter work means no trains will run between Bescott Stadium and Rugeley Trent Valley from the end of service on Thursday 2 April until 5am on Wednesday 8 April.

Liam Sumpter, area director for Network Rail, said: “Electrification provides a greener, faster and more reliable railway, providing a better service to passengers. A significant amount of work is required to upgrade the railway and much is already underway or completed as part of our investment.

“Lowering the track at these locations is essential to allow the line to be electrified. I apologise for the disruption over Easter while the work is completed but can assure passengers that the end result will be a better railway for Walsall and the wider West Midlands.”

Mark Goodall, head of route for London Midland, said: “Electrification of the Chase Line is another major step forward for this route that not so many years ago had no regular passenger services. Like our passengers we would much prefer to be running trains on the Chase line this Easter. However this is a necessary step as we continue to make long lasting improvements to the route."

Passengers are also reminded there will be no direct services between London Euston and Hemel Hempstead from Good Friday (3 April) and Easter Monday (6 April) while Network Rail installs the latest upgrades in the Watford area.

This will affect passengers travelling on the West Coast main line, including those from Birmingham New Street to London Euston, and means journeys will be longer and may involve a bus replacement service.

The closure will allow Network Rail to demolish and install a new bridge south of Watford Junction Station, install overhead power equipment and track and do vital repairs to one of the Watford Tunnels which are north of the station. It will build on work in 2014 and over Christmas and the New Year when new track was installed and new signalling was brought into use.

The combined work will help to provide a more reliable and efficient West Coast main line which is one of the busiest mixed use railways in Europe.

Full details and alternative routes are available on the National Rail Enquires website at www.nationalrail.co.uk/easter.