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Monday 5 Jul 2004

PHOTOCALL: NEW TRACK TO ELIMINATE BOTTLENECK ON EAST COAST MAIN LINE

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Date:                    Wednesday 7 July Time:                   9.50am rendezvous at Grantham Station (for transport to site)                               10.30am at Allington Chord Site Contact:              Carolyn Watson 01904 522 825 You are invited to join Transport Minister, Kim Howells, Nick Newton, Deputy Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority, Simon Kirby Network Rail’s Director of Major Projects & Investments and local dignitaries at the Allington Chord site.  The event will mark the start of construction of a new stretch of railway, which will ease congestion on the East Coast Main Line. Known as Allington Chord, this £12 million scheme is being delivered by Network Rail on behalf of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and jointly funded by both organisations.  The new section of railway to the north of Grantham will improve reliability and performance on the East Coast Main Line.  It will also offer greater route flexibility with good connections for local services into Grantham and long distance services.  When combined with other improvements, the new track will also increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line. - more - Allington 2 At present, trains between Nottingham and Skegness via Grantham travel on the East Coast Main Line between Grantham and Barkston South Junction, taking up space on the East Coast Main Line.  The new chord will remove the need for them to use the East Coast Main Line, providing a dedicated route to and from Grantham station on the Nottingham branch line.             The project includes: ·        construction of an embankment and associated earthworks ·        installation of the 450 metre, twin track, 30mph railway chord ·        removal of the existing Barkston Chord ·        construction of a new signal box at Allington ·        upgrading the existing level crossing at Allington to modern barriers ·        reconstruction of an old underbridge The new chord is due to open winter 2005/06.  It is the first project developed by the East Coast Main Line SRA/Network Rail Integrated Project Team. Simon Kirby, Network Rail’s Director of Major Projects & Investments, said: “Allington Chord is a good example of Network Rail’s commitment to improving Britain’s railway.  We are delivering a new stretch of railway, easing congestion on the East Coast Main Line, and, at the same time, taking the opportunity to renew some existing assets.”  Nick Newton, Deputy Chief Executive of the SRA, said: “The scheme at Allington is a milestone for rail industry cooperation along the East Coast Main Line.  It will ease a significant bottleneck, delivering benefits for both long distance and local services.  This project is further evidence that, by working closely together, the rail industry can produce significant improvements for passengers.” - more - Allington 3 Simon Kirby added: “This is just one of many recent improvements on the East Coast Main Line.  Since Network Rail brought maintenance work in house in April, delays caused by the infrastructure have been reduced by 12.8%.   And in the past six months, renewals and maintenance work have led to significantly improved train punctuality on the Great Northern Route, which links London Kings Cross with Peterborough and Cambridge.”