Media centre

Monday 4 Jan 2016

Railway passengers and neighbours thanked for their patience as major railway junction returned to use after massive Christmas and New Year rebuilding

Region & Route:

| Southern

After 10 days of heavy engineering work, a major railway junction at Purley, near Croydon, is back doing its job and carrying thousands of passengers every day.

Trains were diverted and replacement buses laid on for the duration of the project, which saw more than 200 engineers working every day at more than 20 locations in the area.

The complex junction, where lines from Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Redhill and Gatwick all merge, has been completely replaced with new track and associated equipment, to provide a better ride and more reliable journeys.

As with all major track renewals, a short period of bedding in will now take place, with trains running at reduced speeds. This is not expected to have a major impact on journeys.

Network Rail route managing director Alasdair Coates said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience, and also our lineside neighbours, who will have seen and heard the huge project going on over Christmas.

“There is no good time to do this work, and I am especially conscious of the disruption we caused to passengers travelling to Gatwick and to work in London. However, we must continue to invest and rebuild the Brighton Main Line to keep trains running reliably for the thousands of people who rely on it every day.

“This was a massive project on one of the country’s busiest railways and the successful completion is a credit to our engineers and suppliers.”

Gatwick Express Passenger Services Director, Angie Doll said: “I would like to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while the work took place. Our contingency plans worked extremely well and everyone was able to get to their destinations as planned. Now that this important junction has been renewed, we expect it to be more reliable, reducing the risk of disruption in the area.”

The £4m junction renewal at Purley was part of a £150m investment nationally by Network Rail, as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan. More than 20,000 men and women worked through Christmas and New Year at more than 500 worksites.

Notes:

Trains will be limited to 60mph over the junction until next week, down from 90mph.

Another major project affected trains between Charing Cross and London Bridge over Christmas and the New Year, as the Thameslink Programme brought a new viaduct and signalling system into use.