Monday 31 Jul 2017
Passengers and residents thanked as Ashton-under-Lyne station opens on time
- Region & Route:
- | North West & Central
Passengers and neighbours have been thanked for their patience and understanding after Ashton-under-Lyne station reopened on time following a 23 day closure.
Network Rail had closed the station between 8 and 30 July to carry out upgrade work as part of the Great North Rail Project which will see over £1bn invested in the railway across the north as part of the national Railway Upgrade Plan.
Engineers worked round-the-clock over the last three weeks to rebuild the railway bridge over Turner Lane and replace and realign over two miles of track. The time-lapse video shows the level and complexity of work that was carried out to help provide passengers with a better railway.
Nick Brown, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “The railway corridor on which Ashton station sits was narrow with many curves which restricted the speed that trains can travel. Replacing the bridge deck and realigning the track will result in smoother and straighter track meaning trains will be able to travel faster which, in the long run, means more frequent services on the route.
“I would like to thank passengers and local residents for their patience while we improve the railway in their area.”
Liam Sumpter, regional director at Northern, said: “Following the major engineering work and recent closure at Ashton-Under-Lyne station I am very pleased to confirm that the station has today reopened, on time, for our customers.
“The improvements at Ashton station will help us to deliver better journeys for our customers as part of our exciting and ambitious modernisation programme. The station itself has been enhanced with improved LED lighting and a new subway. Further modernisation is planned for the station, so watch this space.
“I am delighted the alliance between Network Rail and Northern has enabled this project to be completed on time and I would like to thank to our customers for their patience during the improvement work.”
Amanda White, head of rail for Transport for Greater Manchester said,
“We are delighted that the infrastructure upgrade at Ashton has been completed on time. The work undertaken by Network Rail will help to deliver more and faster trains in the coming year.
“The work has clearly been disruptive to Ashton passengers but continued investment is required to improve the Greater Manchester rail network and the scheme will deliver long term benefits.
“Transport for Greater Manchester provided assistance with communication, replacement bus planning and ticket acceptance on Metrolink services. We will continue to work with our Railway partners and local communities to secure future investment and regeneration around the GM station estate.”
This is part of a wider scheme on the line which will not only enable better journey times between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge but also allow an increase in services from May 2018.
To find out more information visit www.networkrail.co.uk/Ashton
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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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