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Thursday 4 Jun 2009

WORK BEGINS ON £20m INVESTMENT IN DONCASTER - SCUNTHORPE LINE

Region & Route:

Work worth around £20m on the railway between Scunthorpe and Doncaster begins on 21 June as Network Rail completes several complex improvement schemes in just 11 weeks.

The main job is at Medge Hall where ground conditions are limiting trains to just 10mph on that stretch of track where engineers are building a £10m buried structure to carry the rail clear of the affected area. It will not be possible to run any trains over the line while this is being done. This means no direct passenger services will run between Doncaster and Cleethorpes from 11.45pm on Sunday 21June to 4am Monday 7 September. Freight services will be affected for the same period between Scunthorpe and Thorne junction.

Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail said: "As recently as last week we had to temporarily close this route while repairs to the track were carried out. We're now in a position to complete a substantial investment in the route which will make it more robust for the future and allow trains to run at faster speeds for the first time in many years. In order to minimise disruption we will complete several other jobs at the same time - making the total investment in the line around £20m. I hope that passengers and freight users will consider the short-term inconvenience worthwhile in terms of the long terms benefits that this investment will bring."

Maintenance works worth around £3m will be carried out while the Medge Hall engineering work is being completed. Network Rail will also completely renew a junction at Thorne, an investment worth around £5.8m, and renew track at Crowle, worth approximately £1.1m.

Technical information

The Medge Hall structure will be made up of a concrete platform which is supported by over a thousand piles, which are driven into the solid ground below the peat. The piles are designed to be bottom driven - making the process as quiet as possible. They also use less concrete than conventional piles, meaning less lorries to site and the lowest possible impact on the environment.

Everything possible is being done to minimise the impact on the local community. The site will be in operation 24hours a day but only the quietest operations taking place during the night. Driving in the piles will only be carried out during the daytime.

Local residents are being kept informed of our plans by letter. Anyone with any concerns should contact Network Rail's 24-hour helpline on 08457 11 41 41.