A major milestone in the East Coast Rail Upgrade was reached during the Christmas closure of London Kings Cross after a Central London sewer was diverted and rebuilt in just nine days.
As part of the mammoth project, how trains enter and leave the station at London Kings Cross is being revamped, meaning major work on a sewer underneath the railway was needed.
The engineering challenge meant teams had to remove all four tracks into the station for the first time in 40 years, dig out Camden Sewer, divert, rebuild and strengthen the sewer, all in time for the first passenger services after Christmas.
3,200 litres of water pass through the sewer ever second, the same as 12,800 five-minute showers, and 850 tonnes of spoil had to be removed from the sewer as part of the work.
Work was also completed to install new overhead line equipment, renew tracks and install 100 pieces of signalling equipment.
Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail's East Coast Upgrade, said: “This was an incredible, industry-leading piece of work by Network Rail engineers and our suppliers.”
“Digging out and rebuilding a major sewer would have been a complex engineering challenge at any time, even without all the additional problems of working during the pandemic. But it was delivered without a hitch and without causing any extra disruption for passengers.”
“I'd like to thank passengers for bearing with us while we completed the work – it will help us deliver a better and more reliable railway for you in the future.”
A spokesperson on behalf of train operators on the route said: “We're thanking our passengers for their patience whilst major work was carried out at London King's Cross over the festive period. The East Coast Upgrade will bring more reliable journeys for passengers on the East Coast Main Line.”
“People should continue to follow Government guidance and those who have to travel are strongly advised to check their journey in advance.”
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Is there any time lapse video of the works?
Plus with the continuing work on construction of a new underpass at Werrington Junction, Peterborough. That will end the bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line.