Friday 11 Jun 2010
IMPROVEMENT WORK ON NORTH COTSWOLD LINE BEGINS
- Region & Route:
- Wales & Western: Western
- | Wales & Western
The next phase of work to transform North Cotswold line will start at the end of June, paving the way for the extra track to be laid over the coming months.
Engineers will be working round the clock near Ascott-under-Wychwood, Charlbury, Aston Magna, Mickleton and Evesham on 27 June, 3, 4 July and 11 July, which have been planned to coincide with quieter travel periods.
First Great Western managers will be joined by representatives from Network Rail at its meet the manager events to share details of the improvement work on the North Cotswold line.
The events will be held at Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham stations on 15, 16 and 17 June.
Mike Gallop, principal programme sponsor, Network Rail said: “After months of planning and preparation, we are very eager to start work on site again. We will do all we can to keep passenger inconvenience to an absolute minimum.
"Network Rail is committed to improving passenger experiences and our work on North Cotswold is an investment in its future. We hope passengers and the community can join us in celebrating the transformation of North Cotswold as our work progresses in the coming months.”
Matthew Golton, projects and planning director, First Great Western, said: “We’ve worked hard to improve our customers’ journeys on the Cotswold line, and the line is now performing better than ever.
"The work to be undertaken over the coming year will cut delays further and provide the capacity for us to run more trains. We’re working hard to make sure this work is completed with the minimum impact on our customers journeys.”
The programme of work includes -
- Nearly one mile of life-expired track near Ascott-under-Wychwood and Evesham will be renewed to improve the reliability of the infrastructure.
- More than 1.5 miles of track near Mickleton and Aston Magna will be moved so that an extra track can be installed in the next package of work.
- New drainage system to be installed near Charlbury station to alleviate flooding issues.
Network Rail has also recently awarded contract to Birse Rail to carry out construction work of the Honeybourne footbridge and has tendered for track, signalling and telecoms contracts.
Details of changes on the Sunday of 27 June, 3, 4 July and 11 July are:
Sunday, 27 June – Coach services between Oxford and Kingham, calling intermediately at Oxford and Moreton in Marsh non-stop.
Saturday and Sunday, 3 and 4 July – Coach services between Moreton-in-Marsh and Worcester Shrub Hill.
Sunday, 11 July – Coach services between Moreton-in-Marsh and Worcester Shrub Hill.
Passengers are advised to contact First Great Western or National Rail Enquiries before they start their travel.
Notes to editors
To speak to someone from First Great Western, please contact Dan Panes, Communication Development Manager on
0845 410 4444 or 07590600019
As part of the North Cotswold scheme, the line from Ascott-under-Wychwood to east of Charlbury and from Moreton-in-Marsh to Evesham will be redoubled with 21 miles of track.
By 2011, there will be extra capacity, potentially for more trains to run hourly, and improved reliability on North Cotswold rail services. Passengers at Charlbury, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Honeybourne will also benefit from a bigger, bright and accessible station with improved facilities, including new platforms with step-free access, new lighting and real-time digital passenger information systems.
Network Rail is also boosting these improvements by sprucing up stations at Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham.
The North Cotswolds line is a particularly congested part of the railway, which means even small delays tend to have a huge impact on rail services in the area.
Since the line was singled in the late 1960s, the existing track now follows a route that consists of sections of the old south-bound or north-bound lines. In many places these existing tracks have also been ‘centred’, leaving insufficient track bed for the new lines to be laid.
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