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Monday 31 Oct 2016

VIDEO and PICTURES: A better, more reliable railway: Network Rail completes Hampshire railway upgrades on time

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Passengers travelling on the railway through Fareham will benefit from better, more reliable journeys from this morning thanks to a major, week-long upgrade completed on-time this weekend by Network Rail.

The multimillion pound upgrade included replacing eight sets of points and a double junction, the crossings which allow trains to move between lines, as well as 240 metres of track and the ballast foundations.

Commenting on the completion of the upgrades, Colum Cavanagh, director of route asset management at Network Rail said, “This was an enormous project to complete in a relatively short space of time, but our orange army has worked around the clock to deliver on-time for passengers and I’d like to thank everyone involved in the successful planning and delivery of the upgrade.

“The number of passengers using the line through Fareham is growing fast, but the track was over forty years old, so replacing it was an essential aspect of our Railway Upgrade Plan for a better railway.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carried out these important improvements.”

South West Trains will continue to work to deliver station facility improvements and modernisation which is due to be complete by the end of the year.

These improvements include a new staircase which will have double height handrails, a cycle channel and anti-slip treads; new zebra crossings and pedestrian access routes; more spaces for motorcycles to park; better lighting and signage throughout the station; and waiting facilities enhancements with new automatic doors.

ENDS