Thursday 5 Jan 2017
Platform extensions at Durham to allow for longer trains from 2018
- Region & Route:
- | Eastern
Passengers and residents in Durham are being reminded that work to extend a platform begins next week in preparation for the new Virgin Azuma trains.
Platform one at Durham is being extended by 40metres to allow all carriages of the longer Azuma trains, due to be introduced by Virgin Trains on their east coast route from 2018, to fit into the station.
The work will take place between 12:00 on Saturday and 12:00 Sunday for the first three weekends of January with the station closed to trains during this period. Passengers are advised that journeys through Durham may require a bus replacement service or take longer than usual depending on which train company you are travelling with.
The work will also require the partial closure of the A691 Framwellgate Peth to the north of the station, with temporary traffic lights in place.
Aidan Talbott, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: “The introduction of the Azuma trains is an exciting time for the railway and the work at Durham is a vital step towards preparing the rail network for the longer trains that will bring even greater benefits for passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line. We apologise for any inconvenience this enhancement work causes and thank both rail users and those using Framwellgate Path for their patience.”
A spokesperson for Virgin Trains said: "We're providing coach services between Newcastle, Durham and Darlington during the next three weekends while this important work is undertaken, and thank our customers for bearing with us on this. Our Virgin Azuma trains, which will be introduced from next year, will help us to transform the customer experience, creating more capacity, and faster and more comfortable journeys on our east coast route."
Passengers travelling through Durham are advised to check before they travel by contacting their train operator or visiting nationalrail.co.uk
Editor's Notes
Work will take place at Durham station between 12:00 on Saturday and 12:00 on Sunday over the weekends of January 7/8, January 14/15 and January 21/22.
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 - Amy Brenndorfer
Senior Communications Manager
07858375508
07730359569
Amy.Brenndorfer@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
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.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk