Media centre

Wednesday 12 Feb 2020

Network Rail invites Ulleskelf and Church Fenton residents to find out about work to improve the railway

Region & Route:

Eastern

Network Rail is inviting residents in Ulleskelf and Church Fenton to find out more about work which is taking place to improve the railway between York and Church Fenton.

In preparation for the Transpennine Upgrade, Network Rail will carry out improvements to the track in this area, as well as an upgrade to the signalling system. This will help to create a more reliable and resilient railway for passengers.

Major work will also take place to fully electrify the line between York and Church Fenton. The line is already partially electrified and fully electrifying this portion of the route will pave the way for an eco-friendlier railway, enabling bi-mode trains – trains which run on both diesel and electric power – to run under electric power on this part of the railway.

These improvements mean there will be an increase in the amount of work taking place on the railway. Most of this will take place at night and during weekends, when fewer trains are running.

To allow people to find out more about the work, Network Rail is holding two public information events. These will take place on:

• Thursday, 20 February between 16:00 and 19:00 at Ulleskelf Village Hall
• Tuesday, 25 February between 16:00 and 19:00 at Church Fenton Village Hall.

People will have the opportunity to see the plans and Network Rail workers will be on hand to answer any questions which residents may have.

Chris Montgomery, Major Programme Director for Network Rail, said: “This is a really exciting time for the railway, and we hope that people come along to these information events to find out more about this vital work.

“The work between York and Church Fenton is really important and is essential to create a railway with improved reliability and quicker journey times.

“An improvement project on this scale does mean that more work will be taking place in this area and we would like to reassure all residents that we are making every effort to keep disruption to a minimum.”

The major improvements on the line will be taking place between now and 2022, in preparation for the Transpennine Upgrade. The proposed project will bring more trains, faster journeys and a more reliable railway between Manchester and York via Huddersfield and Leeds.

ENDS