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Monday 19 Feb 2024

Rail upgrades mean changes to weekend trains between Birmingham and Shrewsbury

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

Passengers are being advised about major changes to weekend trains between Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury while Network Rail carries out work to improve the railway.

Over four weekends from Saturday 24 February to Sunday 17 March railway engineers will complete vital track upgrades in the Wolverhampton area to help make journeys more reliable for passengers and freight services.

Part of the improvement work involves essential maintenance on the track foundation stone - or ballast - in Oxley.

Special trains called ‘tamping machines’ will pass over sections of track to vibrate the stones to pack them tightly together. This provides a firm foundation for the railway track and sleepers to sit on.

For passengers this will mean changes to journeys between Birmingham and Shrewsbury with rail replacement bus services operating between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury stations on the following dates:

• Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 February
• Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 March
• Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 March
• Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 March.

Steven Ireland, Network Rail Central route head of customer service, said: “Over the next four weekends we’re asking passengers travelling between Birmingham and Shrewsbury to check before they travel while our engineers complete vital upgrades to the railway help make journeys more reliable.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we deliver this important work and urge people to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk.”

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director at West Midlands Railway, said: “These engineering works are crucial for the upkeep of the railway and I would like to thank passengers for their patience while Network Rail carries out the upgrades.

“We will be operating a rail replacement service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton on four separate weekends and I urge passengers to plan ahead of travelling.”

Dave Whitehouse, safety director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We will be working with industry partners to minimise the disruption whilst these important works are undertaken. We’d like to thank our customers for their understanding and urge anyone travelling on the weekends in question to check before they travel.”

Passengers are advised to plan their journeys in advance at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

For more information on how Network Rail maintains the track visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/track/