As Network Rail deliver their 448 projects to improve the railway across Britain, they are are urging passengers to plan their journeys in advance. This is ahead of the August bank holiday weekend (Saturday 24 to Monday 26 August inclusive).
There is £98m to be invested over the bank holiday. over the holiday the railway is open for business as usual as the majority of the network is unaffected. However there will be major changes to services to/from London Kings Cross.
A 10,500 strong workforce will be working around the clock over the August bank holiday weekend to keep the railway open, as well as delivering a more reliable infrastructure, improved facilities and better services for passengers.
Most of the country's services will be unaffected, but some routes will still see significant changes to normal services and so passengers need to plan ahead.
The railway is up to 50% quieter than usual over bank holidays so doing work at this time of year minimises our impact on passengers who, as research shows, understand the need for such activity.
The major investment projects are said to include:
- Significant work taking between Peterborough and Cambridge and London King's Cross, London St Pancras and Moorgate stations. Passengers using services which start or terminate London King's Cross or London St Pancras are strongly advised not to travel on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August and to instead travel on Friday 23 or Tuesday 27 August.
- Work at Newark will continue on Monday 26 August which means a reduced train service will run. The work is part of the East Coast Upgrade which is the biggest investment into the route in a generation and will provide more seats, quicker journey times and a more reliable service
- Upgrading the overhead wiring system and renewing the track on the Southend Victoria branch line as part of a £46m investment. This will see buses replace train services between Shenfield and Southend Victoria/Southminster from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 August
What did the officials have to say?
Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail said:
“There is never a convenient time to close parts of the railway. We are very aware that bank holiday engineering work affects many people who will have wanted to make the most of the long weekend. But the only reasons we do the work then is because it affects far fewer people than a closure on a normal working day. We plan to use every minute of the closures to work towards delivering a service that our passengers deserve. And most of the railway network will be open as usual, only some routes will be closed, so if you are thinking about travelling please plan ahead.”
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At least Network Rail have done some of the OHL upgrades on the Southend Victoria line. With new overhead wires erected and new overhead support & structures installed. Which is why Network Rail wants to complete the overhead wire upgrade by March next year.