Media centre

Tuesday 29 Mar 2016

Network Rail completes Easter railway upgrade work in the Thames Valley on time

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

| Southern

Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) thanked passengers and lineside neighbours today for their patience following the completion, on time, of the first stage of work to pave the way for a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers in the south west and Thames Valley.

As part of Network Rail’s £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan, improvement work was carried out over the Easter weekend to prepare the Great Western Main Line for the arrival of a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains, and for the Crossrail programme to better connect the south east with London. The work was extensive and involved:

• Installing the foundations for the overhead electrification equipment that is essential to power the new electric trains to run underneath. This process is known as ‘piling’ and took place at various locations in the Thames Valley.
• Station improvements at West Ealing, Southall and Hayes and Harlington in preparation for the Crossrail programme.
• Track improvement work at Maidenhead station as part of the Crossrail programme that will also provide greater reliability for passengers.
• Installing the overhead steel work and electric wires between Stockley junction and Maidenhead in preparation for electrification and Crossrail services.

The delivery of these upgrades had the added complication of having to cope with, and adjust for, some extreme weather conditions as a result of storm Katie, including flooding, high winds and trees on the line.

The next stage of the Easter improvement work will take place between Bristol and Bath from Saturday 2 until Monday 11 April. This will involve track lowering and station upgrades at Keynsham and Oldfield Park in preparation for electrification and the new fleet of electric trains.

The extent of this work meant it could not be completed over the Easter weekend in addition to the other upgrade projects, but to minimise disruption to passengers has still been timed to coincide with the Easter school holidays when fewer people use the railway.

Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western route, said: “I’d like to thank the public for the support and understanding they’ve shown as we’ve worked round-the-clock to complete the first stage of the railway upgrades that will deliver the big improvements we know passengers want to see.

“Now that we’ve completed our Thames Valley work on time, we are turning our attention to electrification preparation work in the south west. This work will pave the way for the benefits that electrification will bring including faster trains with more seats and more legroom, and less noise and cleaner air for those who live close to the railway.

“In addition, faster journeys and the ability to move more people by train will also help to drive economic growth in this region.”

Mark Hopwood, GWR’s managing director, said: “The Great Western network is already seeing the biggest investment since Brunel, and these improvement works will in time allow passengers to take advantage of the full benefits of electrification; providing newer trains, faster, more frequent services and importantly, given the growth this network has seen in recent years, more seats.”

To complete the upgrade work, Keynsham and Oldfield Park stations will be closed to passengers from 2 until 11 April and a rail replacement bus service will be in operation. Both Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads stations will remain open throughout.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel through National Rail Enquiries or train operator, Great Western Railway.

ENDS

Notes to editors

A summary of the work is as follows:

3,228 metres of new track were laid. More than double that laid last Christmas.

31 foundations were installed for the overhead line equipment.

31 masts (the vertical structure) were installed for the overhead line equipment.

48 booms (the horizontal structure) were installed for the overhead line equipment.

30 twin track cantilevers were installed. These are the steel column structures that support the overhead electric lines for two tracks.

200 small part steel were installed for the overhead line equipment. This is the equipment that is attached to the boom.

8 platforms were extended for the new longer electric trains.

3 new sets of points were installed. Points enable trains to move from one track to another.

About Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan

The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s £40bn spending plan for Britain’s railways for the five year period up to 31 March 2019. The plan is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to tremendous growth the railways have seen – a doubling of passengers in the past twenty years. The plan will deliver a bigger, better railway with more trains, longer trains, faster trains with more infrastructure, more reliable infrastructure and better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.

About the Great Western Electrification Programme

Electrification will transform the railway between London and Oxford, Newbury, Bristol and Cardiff to deliver a faster, greener, quieter and more reliable railway for passengers, with extra capacity. Electrifying this part of the Great Western route will enhance 235 miles of one of Britain’s busiest and oldest railways, better connecting major towns and cities across southern England and South Wales. This investment, as well as the introduction of a fleet of new trains, will improve journey times and make services more comfortable, smoother, cleaner and quieter for passengers and people living near the railway.

For more information about the Great Western Electrification Programme, visit: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/great-western-route-modernisation/

About the Crossrail programme and Network Rail:

Network Rail is a key partner in delivering the Crossrail project. It is responsible for the design, development and delivery of the parts of the route that are on the existing rail network in outer London, Berkshire and Essex. Network Rail’s work, which will integrate the new rail tunnels beneath London with the existing rail network, includes upgrades to track, major civil engineering projects, new overhead electrification equipment and improvements to stations and bridges.

The route will pass through 40 stations from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The Transport for London (TfL) run railway will be named the Elizabeth line when services through central London open in December 2018. The Crossrail project is being delivered by Crossrail Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL, and is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and TfL.