NETWORK RAIL INVESTS HEAVILY IN BASINGSTOKE'S RAILWAY

Friday 16 Mar 2007

NETWORK RAIL INVESTS HEAVILY IN BASINGSTOKE'S RAILWAY

Region & Route:: | Southern: Wessex; | Southern

Rail passengers travelling on any route through Basingstoke between the 6 and 15 April are being reminded to plan their journeys carefully. Network Rail is undertaking the first phase of its massive £130 million enhancement project in the area, which will secure the future of the line and provide a more reliable service and smoother and quieter journeys for passengers. This means that all lines through Basingstoke will be closed and bus replacement services will be in operation. The ambitious project, which is the one of the biggest being undertaken by Network Rail in the country this year, will see hundreds of pieces of equipment being replaced including installing a completely new signalling system. The works over Easter include the remodelling of Great Western Junction (a key point on a busy section of railway just outside Basingstoke station) which entails installation of 11 new sets of switches and crossings, the arrangement of rails enabling a train to cross from one line to another. The new infrastructure will make the railway more reliable, resulting in fewer delays in the area. Improving the rail layout around Basingstoke station will not only ensure trains can run faster but also give more options for diverting trains if there are problems on the line. During the Easter period, Network Rail employees and contractors will be working 24 hours round the clock to ensure this phase of work is completed to deadline. Over the 10 days, there will be up to 1,000 people onsite during any one shift, including over 100 people alone who will be testing the new signalling system to ensure it is fully operational. Two massive cranes will be used to lift track components into place and 19 engineering trains will also be running to bring new track, ballast and sleepers to the site. It is estimated that Network Rail will spend £500,000 for each day of the 10 day works over Easter. David Pape, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “This investment will deliver significant long-term benefits for passengers. This is an important stretch of railway linking Southern and Western England with London and some of the equipment being replaced dates back to the late 1960s. This work is long overdue and we have been careful to plan the work for Easter when far fewer people are travelling. We appreciate that some people will be inconvenienced, but we hope that they will understand that the long term benefits for passengers make this project worthwhile. We will work closely with the train operating companies throughout the works to minimise disruption and keep passengers on the move.” James Burt, South West Trains’ operations director, said: "While this essential work is taking place we plan to make sure that trains and buses work smoothly together. We will be providing extra staff to help. However journey times will be significantly longer than usual. We would ask for our passengers' patience and understanding during this disruption to our normal service." For further travel advice, passengers are advised to plan ahead by consulting the South West Trains, First Great Western or Virgin Cross Country websites (www.southwesttrains.co.uk www.virgintrains.co.uk and www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk ). Alternative travel arrangements are also available from National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Notes to editors

The Basingstoke Area Infrastructure Upgrade project has been planned since early 2003 and workers have been on-site since January 2006 carrying out works such as replacing track and points, extending the platforms at Basingstoke station, as well as other preparatory works including vegetation management and maintaining and strengthening embankments in the area. The project is part of Network Rail’s £1.5 billion investment in signalling across the country in the next three years. Installing a brand new signalling system in the area will see the replacement of more than 270 signalling units along an 80km mile stretch of track from Grateley to Farnborough and Mortimer to Litchfield Tunnel (north of Micheldever). Foundations of up to 14m are needed for each signalling unit. Over 1000km of cable will be used for the entire project, including 230km of copper and fibre cable alone for a new telecommunications system. 49 sets of switches and crossings have been designed and manufactured overall. They are produced in Nottinghamshire, transported to Basingstoke and then assembled on-site ready to be put in place by cranes. On a daily basis more than 300 people are involved in the project including more than 100 in management, around 60 designers and a construction team of more than 120. A state of the art, high security signalling control centre will open in Basingstoke. Not only does the centre boast the very latest in signalling technology but is designed to withstand a blast from a 100kg bomb going off within 20 metres of the building, and has several emergency back-up power supplies. A long list of suppliers is involved in the project, but the two main contractors are Balfour Beatty and Atkins. The Network Rail project team has liaised extensively with a number of organisations including South West Trains, First Great Western and Virgin Trains, Local Authorities, the Highways Agency, the emergency services, utility companies, residents and nearby businesses and railway regulatory bodies including Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate. Work to date is to deadline and on budget. The project will continue until the end of 2008 when works onsite will finish, with final testing, assessments and documentation due to complete in the first quarter of 2009.

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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.

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