Network Rail upgrades track in Grantham over August Bank Holiday weekend – vast majority of services continue as railway welcomes passengers back: Track renewal work in Grantham

Monday 16 Aug 2021

Network Rail upgrades track in Grantham over August Bank Holiday weekend – vast majority of services continue as railway welcomes passengers back

Region & Route:
Eastern
| Eastern: East Coast
  • Essential work in Grantham will bring smoother, more reliable journeys
  • Work planned to minimise disruption as much as possible with some changes to LNER services on Saturday 28 August
  • Over 95% of Britain’s rail network will be open for business over August Bank Holiday weekend as railway welcomes back passengers

Network Rail is upgrading the track in Grantham over the August Bank Holiday weekend to bring smoother journeys for passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line.

Overnight on Saturday 28 August, teams will be lifting and replacing the track on a section of the line between the north of Grantham and Claypole level crossing, near Newark-on-Trent. The ballast – stones which support the track – and the wooden sleepers will also be replaced.  

As well as bringing smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers, this work will also reduce the amount of maintenance which is required in future.

Network Rail has carefully planned the work which is taking place over the Bank Holiday weekend. Over 95% of Britain’s rail network will be open for business as usual, meaning passengers can reconnect with family, friends, and their favourite holiday destinations.

Most of the work in Grantham will be carried out overnight when there are no trains running on the line. There will be some changes to LNER services on Saturday 28 August:

  • The 19:45 Leeds to London King’s Cross and the 20:30 London King’s Cross to Leeds services will not run.
  • The 21:00 London King’s Cross to Newcastle service will depart earlier than usual. It will also be diverted, extending journey times.
  • The 22:00 service from London King’s Cross to Leeds will also set off earlier than usual and journey times will be extended.

Passengers can find out how their journeys will be affected with their train operator, via National Rail Enquiries, or by following #AugustBHWorks on Twitter.

Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This vital work to upgrade the track in Grantham will bring smoother, more reliable services for passengers. We’re carrying out these improvements now to reduce the amount of maintenance and repair work required in future, helping to prevent disruption to services.  

“As we welcome passengers back to the railway, the vast majority of services are running as normal. We’re advising people to check their journey and allow plenty of time.”

People are advised to follow government guidance and wear a face covering in busy indoor settings, unless they are exempt. With good ventilation systems on trains, extra cleaning and improved information about quieter times, passengers can continue to travel with confidence.

ENDS

Contact information

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Kathryn Muffett
Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
01904 383180
kathryn.muffett@networkrail.co.uk

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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.

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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