Monday 6 Sep 2004
MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS ON TRACK FOR THE EAST COAST MAIN LINE
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Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
A significant programme of vital engineering work will begin this weekend on the East Coast Main Line, to continue the task of rebuilding a better performing, more efficient railway.
Engineers will begin work this coming Saturday (11/09), and continue every weekend through until Monday November 14, on a project that will oversee the renewal of 12 miles of rail and 5 ½ miles of sleepers and ballast. The work will take place at 15 core locations between Inveresk, East Lothian and Reston in the Borders.
Network Rail’s Route Director, Scotland, Ron McAulay said: “This important engineering work is part of our commitment to provide a safe and reliable railway. We are undertaking the majority of the work at weekends, which are naturally quieter, in order to minimise disruption. We apologise in advance to everyone who will be affected by this work and for the inconvenience caused.”
As a result, some train services will be subject to change.
ScotRail services between Edinburgh and North Berwick will be affected on Sunday's 19 & 26 September as well as Sundays 3,10, 17 and 24 October 2004. There will be no train services between Edinburgh and North Berwick on these dates. A replacement bus service will run between Edinburgh and North Berwick calling at all stations.
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ECML– 2
Journeys may take longer than normal. ScotRail regret that heavy luggage, cycles,
wheelchairs and large prams cannot be carried on the replacement buses. Wheelchair users needing help with their journey should contact 0845 605 7021 in advance for information. ScotRail apologise for any inconvenience caused.
GNER and Virgin cross border services to and from Scotland on the East Coast Main Line will be diverted via Carlisle, adding additional journey time. There will also be some bus substitution in operation for passengers travelling to intermediate stations between Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Passengers are advised to check alterations to services before travelling by phoning National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 (24hrs). Passengers travelling on GNER services can also call 08457 225 225 for details.
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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