Friday 27 Aug 2010
MERSEYSIDE RAIL WORKS COMPLETED IN TIME FOR MATHEW STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL
- Region & Route:
Network Rail has confirmed train services between Hunt's Cross and Liverpool Central will be back to normal as planned tomorrow (Saturday 28 August) in time for the Mathew Street Music festival. Work has been completed ahead of schedule and test trains have run to check that all is well.
Work began on the line five weeks ago, where almost 400 yards of track and approximately 130m3 of concrete was ripped up, re-poured and re-laid.
This final stage of work was part of a wider scheme to renew part of the track on the Northern line in the tunnel underneath the city centre, with passengers in south Liverpool set to benefit from a smoother ride and a more reliable railway.
Network Rail area general manager, Gary Openshaw said: “We are grateful for the patience and understanding passengers have shown during the renewal work and we hope that they will be pleased with the benefits the improvements have brought. The replaced concrete should last for at least fifty years, meaning less maintenance of the track in the future - resulting in better journeys for the people of Merseyside.”
Bart Schmeink, Merseyrail’s managing director said: “I am delighted that our passengers can now return to a much improved railway in South Liverpool and that there is an end to the disruption they have experienced.”
Notes to editors
The work involved:-
• Removing the old rails • Breaking up the old concrete slab • Laying shuttering and reinforcing bars to form the new slab • Pouring the concrete into the shuttering and smoothing it over • Drilling bolt holes in the concrete and fixing base plates in position • Laying the new rail tracks on the base plates • Reinstating the electric third rail and various communication and power cables • Clearing away the work debris
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