Media centre

Wednesday 29 Dec 2021

Rail upgrades completed this Christmas – with more in the New Year

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Network Rail has completed upgrades to the railway between Euston, the Midlands and the North West over Christmas.

From Friday 24 until Wednesday 29 December, hundreds of railway engineers carried out vital work on the railway.

The multi-million-pound investment as part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan saw:

• Signals - the traffic lights of the railway – upgraded at Birmingham New Street and Macclesfield
• Platform extensions so longer trains with more seats can run between Wolverhampton and Telford
• Track being laid as part of the East West Rail project at Bletchley

Tim Shoveller, managing director for Network Rail’s North West & Central region, said: “The schemes we have undertaken this Christmas were all critical pieces of work to make the railway better for the future.

“I’m very proud of our frontline workers who have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic to maintain and upgrade the railway for those who need it. This festive period has been no different, with hundreds of workers out delivering significant improvements, sometimes in very challenging weather conditions, across the North West and Central region.”

Passengers are advised that Transpennine Route Upgrade work in Manchester will continue in Manchester between 1- 4 January. For more information click here.

Attention also turns to work in the first week of the New Year which will impact passenger journeys on the West Coast main line.

Between 4 -12 January, flood protection upgrades will improve future journeys between Milton Keynes and Rugby.

The work will prevent heavy rain from flooding tracks, making the economically important rail route more reliable for passengers and freight.

During the improvements trains will be diverted via Northampton to bypass the 4km long trackside drainage upgrades.

This will add around 25 minutes onto West Coast main line journeys for Avanti West Coast customers.

London Northwestern Railway will run fewer services between Crewe and Euston and passengers will need to change trains at Rugby.

Passengers are urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk and plan their journeys in advance.

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “This essential maintenance will improve the reliability of our rail infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of delays in the future. I urge customers to plan their rail travel in advance during the West Coast Main Line work near Milton Keynes in January when some journeys will take longer.”

Gus Dunster, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “As Network Rail carry out essential works near Milton Keynes in January, there’ll be changes to our services and extended journey times to and from London Euston. We strongly recommend you make a reservation, plan your journey in advance as well as check the National Rail Enquiries website before travelling.”

To combat Covid-19, passengers must wear a face covering in train stations, on train services and any replacement bus services. Those who fail to do so face a fine of £200.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Meanwhile, enhanced cleaning procedures will remain in place to stop the spread of coronavirus, with hand sanitiser on station concourses.

To find out more about what Network Rail is doing to stop the spread of Covid-19 visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/coronavirus/.