Tuesday 31 May 2011
SUCCESSFUL BANK HOLIDAY PLANNED RAIL IMPROVEMENT WORK
- Region & Route:
- National
With thousands of Network Rail people working out on the tracks all weekend, train services have this morning returned to normal, after planned rail improvements were completed.
During the three-day spring bank holiday weekend, Network Rail successfully delivered engineering works to improve passengers' journeys by increasing capacity and making tracks, signals and overhead lines more reliable.
David Higgins, chief executive, said: “This is the third consecutive bank holiday that we've delivered and over the last three days alone we completed a huge amount of work to improve the railway for passengers, customers and freight users."
In the run up to this spring bank holiday, Network Rail worked closely with train operating companies and National Rail Enquiries to provide information to passengers about the work being carried out and to provide details about how journeys may be affected.
Notes to editors
Cotswold line – Kingham to Wolvercote Junction
The works taking place at the Kingham to Wolvercote Junction signal the first commissioning stage of a project to provide a continuous double track railway over 30 miles of the Cotswold line, leading to improved journeys along this route for passengers
Reading
Network Rail is rebuilding the railway at Reading. Reading is one of the busiest parts of the network and its complicated track layout restricts the number of trains that can run. It involves changing the track layout and building new platforms to free up capacity on the railway and improve passenger journeys
Thameslink, London
Work continues to deliver more trains and faster journeys for passengers on the Thameslink route running north-south through London, from Bedford to Brighton.The next phase is due for completion by the end of 2011
Carnforth to Barrow in Furness, Cumbria
Work will continue on the £9m renewal of the Arnside viaduct, a key rail link on the Furness line from Carnforth to Barrow in Furness. The project will be renewing a vital structure which will allow the transportation of passengers and freight for years to come
Motherwell to Newton Hamilton, Scotland
Network Rail replaced the bridge in John Street, Blantryre above the twin electrified tracks that carry Motherwell to Newton Hamilton trains. For passengers it will mean more capacity and the continued integrity of the bridge at John Street
Leicester junction
The points at Leicester junction were replaced with more modern, more durable equipment. The new points will increase reliability and give passengers a smoother journey.
Contact information
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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.
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