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Wednesday 5 Aug 2009

NIGHT-TIME WORK SIGNALS LESS DISRUPTION FOR KIRKBY BRANCH PASSENGERS

Region & Route:

It will be a hard day’s night for Network Rail as work to renew the line between Wigan and Kirkby starts from this weekend. Passengers using the line will benefit from smoother, more reliable track, all without the pain of having to be put onto buses while the work is carried out.

The £8.7m renewals scheme for the Kirkby branch line will be a Network Rail first as most of the work will be carried out over weekday nights, allowing the track to be completely replaced and upgraded while keeping disruption to passenger services to a minimum. The track will also be quieter as the old ‘jointed’ rail is replaced by continuous welded rail to make the ride smoother and capable of higher train speeds.

Engineers will take over the line after the last train has run at around 10pm each night and will then renew around 235 yards of track – up to half-a-mile per week - before reopening the line in time for the first service the next morning.

Much Network Rail planned rail improvement occurs during weekends when passenger demand is relatively low. But this is no longer an option as demand for rail has soared over recent years. Carrying out renewal work over the week will also help spread out demand on resources such as track engineers and machinery, helping Network Rail to be more efficient and reduce costs while limiting passenger disruption.

Jo Kaye, route director for Network Rail, said: “We already do much of our work overnight, but this is the first time we will be carrying out a full renewal scheme over the working week, keeping the line open for passenger use.

“With demand for rail services at record levels, carrying out this kind of work solely at weekends is no longer viable and we have to change the way we plan and implement rail improvements without having to always revert to putting passengers onto buses.”

The Wigan to Kirkby scheme will start on 10 August and will take seven months to complete.