Media centre

Notes to Editors

NW&C’s routes at a glance:

West Coast South

Employees 1,422

Stations 63

Track miles 1,000

Daily services 2,187

CP7 Operation Expenditure £881m

CP7 Renewals £898m

Key CP7 renewals include:

• Rerailing track at high criticality sites at Denbigh Hall and Hanslope Junction to maintain performance on high use, high priority lines.
• Key signalling life extension works at Northampton and Willesden, alongside works to move re-control to Rugby from Marston Vale and Stoke.
• Replacement of level crossings with overbridges to reduce safety risk.
• Earthworks renewals spend will be in line with Network Rail Earthwork Policy and at assets which are highest risk, either due to their current condition or consequence of failure
• High priority track and earthworks schemes to improve drainage.
• Investment in our Delivery Unit and operational buildings to improve current poor facilities to improve safety and security – alongside targeting improvements in energy performance.
• Critical rewiring and fire suppression system works at London Euston station.
• Renewal of aging 11 kV high voltage DC cables on the Euston to Watford DC network, and at critical junctions and station locations, to improve operational reliability and service levels.
• Safety-critical schemes to target high risk bridge structures and footbridges
• Renewals of obsolete 25kV oil filled circuit breakers at Camden and Wembley which current present significant safety, performance, and financial risks.

Central

Employees 1,508

Stations 152

Track miles 1,100

Daily services 2,461

CP7 OPEX £662m

CP7 renewals £751m

Key CP7 renewals include: 

• Track renewals schemes targeted at life-expired assets to address areas on the route that present the highest risk of failures and the subsequent mitigating actions required such as speed restrictions 
• Signalling schemes address assets with highest performance and reliability risks and focus on life extension works in the Worcester area, Marylebone, Aston, Kingsbury, Leamington and Stourbridge. 
• Renewals of level crossings at  Hartlebury, Blakedown and Bentley Heath to maintain levels of safety and reliability. 
• Earthworks schemes to address high risk sites on strategic lines into Birmingham, and at Harbury and Ledbury. 
• Track drainage renewals to reduce the likelihood of flooding events impacting levels of service. 
• Prioritised investment on bridges to maintain existing capability and condition, including reconstructions / repairs to bridges in poor condition. 
• Renewal of Birmingham New Street aged overhead lines to improve reliability. 
• Renewal and replacement of 25kV oil filled life-expired circuit breakers (installed in 1958 – 1963) which are high-risk hazards. 
• Renewal of Water Orton Station buildings to improve passenger safety and experience at the station. 
• Passenger and public accessibility works including Lift refurbishment at multiple sites, footbridge renewal at Wendover and staircase renewal at Tyseley station. 
• Fencing boundary renewals at prioritised, known trespass and vandalism hotspots to reduce the impact on reliability and ongoing cost to the industry. 

North West

Employees 3,390

Stations 347

Track miles 2,500

Daily services 5,702

CP7 operational expenditure £1,541m

CP7 renewals £2,524m

Key CP7 renewals include:

• Ongoing delivery of our Crewe Hub Programme to introduce a layout fit for the next 50+ years of operation to enable HS2 services to call at Crewe. Works include resignalling, track and level crossings.
• Critical track renewals on the approach to Manchester Piccadilly, replacing life-expired assets to improve reliability.
• Key resignalling schemes are part of Crewe Hub and WCML (N) programmes, with additional expenditure focused on extension of assets in Cumbria, Buxton, Great Rocks, Chester, and Stockport.
• Renewal of level crossings in the Silecroft area, Wigan – Stockport, and Deansgate Junction to improve public safety when coming into contact with our infrastructure at these points.
• Targeted drainage schemes to reduce flooding risk at known high risk sites.
• Earthworks schemes to address sites at high risk from adverse weather, including Ashton Heath, Worleston Embankment and Chorley Flying Arches.
• Targeted safety and accessibility schemes to improve station canopies, platform condition, station buildings, footbridges, and lift renewals and toilet refurbishment at Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street.
• Replacement of life-expired and failing overhead line equipment on WCML (N) that is a significant contributor to reliability issues.
• Renewal of obsolete 25kV oil-filled circuit breakers, not replaced since 1958 – 63, in the Liverpool and Manchester areas to reduce safety and asset failure risk.
• Improved fencing at trespass hot spots to reduce performance, safety and financial risks