Working together, Network Rail and Transport for London saw a nine-day closure put in place from Saturday the 11th to Sunday the 19th of February to allow work to take place and saw engineers carry out major improvement work. The work saw the overhaul of track, signalling and power suppliers for electric trains over 17 miles of track, alongside the upgrade of five stations located in the north London area.
The railway back open for journeys on Monday the 20th of February following the nine days of closure for the vast improvements projects which saw equipment, trains, drivers and resources utilised from London Underground.
The major projects included:
- The installation of 4,000 modern concrete sleepers replacing wooden ones which date back to the 1950s
- The replacement of 28km of cabling for signalling
- Structural improvement work at five stations which included platform resurfacing and roof canopy maintenance
- Renewal of the track at Willesden
- Upgrade to the power supply of the London Underground and Overground trains
- Signal improvement work at Watford Junction
- An array of work at Carpenders Park, Headstone Lane, Kenton, North Wembley, and South Kenton saw a mix of roof repairs, canopy renovations, guttering clearance, platform resurfacing as well as the installation of tactile paving to improve safety for blind and partially sighted people.
Improvements made to the track will see reliability and improved journey benefits whilst the vital weatherproofing and tactile paving installation are welcome safety additions for passengers.
The vast array of projects required a full railway closure in order for the team to complete the complex mix of work at the same time as the work may have taken years of weekend closures and overnight working had it been organised differently.
Similar upgrade work was completed in December 2022 and this period of work follows on from that.
James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, said: “Thanks again to passengers for their patience while we closed the railway so we could carry out these essential projects and improve future journeys between London Euston and Watford Junction.
“It enabled us to update sections of track with new equipment which is much more reliable so people can travel in confidence. We were also able to safely deliver work at five stations during this closure – which although may not be visually obvious to passengers from platform level – was important to protect the structures from bad weather.”
Rory O'Neill, TfL's general manager for London Overground, said: “We would like to thank customers again for their continued patience while Network Rail and TfL made these vital infrastructure improvements designed to increase train reliability and customer comfort. Our goal is always to provide our customers with the safest and most reliable service possible, and these major improvements will help to ensure we can do just that.”
The improvements will help tackle flooding issues and will also see a reduction in the number of power and signal failures which can lead to cancellations. It is hoped that the upgrade work will bring confidence to customers using both London Overground and Bakerloo line services.
To find out how Network Rail maintains and upgrades the railway, please visit www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/
To plan journeys, please visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
