Media centre

Wednesday 9 Dec 2015

Two more railway crossings set for upgrade as part of £100m investment

Region & Route:

| Eastern

Two level crossings are being revamped as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan which will see a better, more reliable railway for passengers and businesses in Greater Lincolnshire.

Earlier in the year six level crossings were upgraded to obstacle detection systems in Grimsby ahead of a huge, £100m programme of work this Christmas.

Now work is underway to fit the same system at Habrough level crossing, with Great Coates set to follow later in the month. The new system works by using a radar to scan the crossing to check it is clear before the first barrier comes down and again before the second comes down - and only then is a train safely allowed to pass through.

These two level crossing upgrades form part of a major resignalling project which begins on Christmas Eve to replace 100-year railway equipment, replace 60 miles of track, upgrade 14 other level crossings and build two new bridges to provide a better, more reliable railway for people and businesses in Greater Lincolnshire.

Mark Tarry, route managing director, said: ““The result of this project will be a state-of-the-art rail network that can not only cope with today’s passenger and freight numbers, but tomorrows too. The crossings at Habrough and Great Coates are the next steps towards creating a railway in this part of the country that passengers, customers and business can trust, and I would like to thank our neighbours and all others who will be impacted by this investment programme for their patience and understanding.”

Work to upgrade the crossing at Habrough began on December 7 and will be completed 22:00 on Christmas Eve, while work at Great Coates will start at 22:00 on December 14 and will be finished on New Year’s Day at 19:00.

Train services are unaffected by the work at Habrough although a road diversion is in place. Train services are also unaffected by the work at Great Coates the major work begins on December 24, with road diversions also in place.

Residents near the level crossings will receive information from Network Rail on the work taking place. Businesses operating near the crossings have also been informed.      

For train passengers travelling between 24 December 2015 and 11 January 2016 buses or taxis will replace trains, although not all routes will be closed for the full 17-day duration. Passengers are urged to check before they travel from Scunthorpe, Cleethorpes, Lincoln Central, Doncaster and Barton-Upon-Humber throughout the full 17-day period.

With a programme of rolling road closures to allow the work on level crossings and bridges to take place, Network Rail has worked closely with highways authorities to make sure that roads are closed for the shortest time possible and that diversionary routes are clearly signposted.

A list of road closures can be found on Network Rail’s website.