PICTURES: Good news for passengers as Network Rail completes two weeks of upgrade works in London: Fulwell drainage works: in order to install the new drainage system, Network Rail's engineers worked 24 hours a day for two weeks

Tuesday 2 Aug 2016

PICTURES: Good news for passengers as Network Rail completes two weeks of upgrade works in London

Region & Route:
| Southern: Wessex
| Southern

Services on the Shepperton line re-opened in the early hours of 31 July after Network Rail completed two weeks of intense improvement work as part of its £6.5m upgrade to the drainage system at Fulwell in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

The project, part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, is due for completion in the autumn and will significantly improve the resilience of the Shepperton line, particularly against flooding, providing passengers with better, more reliable services during periods of heavy rainfall.

Hector Kidds, senior asset engineer at Network Rail said, “Over the years a number of solutions have been attempted, but this time we’ve taken a different approach. We’ve installed a new pumping station which will significantly reduce the impact of flooding on the line for passengers.

“During the past two weeks we have had to completely dig up the track in order to install the new drainage system at Fulwell, and we’ve cleared nearly three kilometres of existing drainage along the route to improve the efficiency of the system.

“There is still some work to do later this summer before the drainage system will be fully operational, but we’re delighted this extensive work has been completed on time. We’d like to thank passengers for their patience during the disruption.”

Dr Tania Mathias, MP for Twickenham, visited the site during the upgrade to see the work taking place. Following the completion of the improvement works, Dr Mathias said, “I am glad that the engineering work was done on time as a solution for Fulwell's flooding was long overdue. I was pleased to be able to visit the site during the work and I was impressed by the team's enthusiasm. This work should make a big difference for commuters although I understand that the track's proximity to the water table level means a flood risk cannot be completely eliminated.”

Arthur Pretorius, Customer Service Director for South West Trains said, "We're pleased that the work at Fulwell has been completed on time, these enhancements will have a big impact on the many communities that use the Shepperton line and have previously been disrupted during periods of poor weather. We are very grateful to our passengers for their patience over the last fortnight."

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - Owen Johns
Media relations manager (Wessex route)
07710 959476
Owen.Johns@networkrail.co.uk

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