Network Rail says the Easter programme of works on the UK rail network should be music to the ears of freight operators. It is delivering around ninety million pounds (105 million euros) of enhancement works over the Easter weekend. The British infrastructure agency says that freight will benefit from the programme of works, at least as much as passenger operations.
Engineers will be out in force, rocking the UK rail network from Friday to Monday, delivering a chart-topping album of works. Across England, Scotland and Wales, teams will be out touring the railway to deliver a crowd-pleasing lineup. To back up their claim to benefit freight operations, Network Rail has released a freight-focused video with an appropriately heavy metal soundtrack.
Quite period is a symphony of cacophony to the ears of engineers
“It’s not just passenger trains that benefit from our bank holiday works”, says a bold boast from Network Rail. “They’re great for freight, too. We’ve got 493 different pieces of work taking place this Easter, most happening overnight. We couldn’t do this without the support of passengers, freight users and our lineside neighbours.” Nevertheless, the soundtrack to overnight works is invariably at the industrial end of the musical spectrum. That patience may be tested. Freight operations may be taking a break over this weekend, but passengers have been advised to check with the national enquiry service.
Despite the ambitious setlist, Network Rail say that more than 95 per cent of Britain’s 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of railway will be open for business this Easter. “There’s never a good time to carry out major pieces of work, such as replacing bridges or whole junctions”, said a statement from the agency. However, Network Rail emphasises that Easter is a little bit more favourable for otherwise disruptive works. “Unlike the roads, the railways are actually quieter over a long holiday weekend, and gives us an opportunity to improve our railway whilst minimising disruption for passengers and freight users.”
Touring all the major venues
The majority of improvement work will be carried out overnight. Some bigger pieces of work need longer to stage. A handful of key routes will be impacted, including, as often is the case, Europe’s chart-topping mixed traffic route, the West Coast Main Line. Between its terminus at London Euston and Network Rail’s headquarters location at Milton Keynes, the line will be closed over all four days. Work is scheduled to lay a new track near the Kensal Green tunnel in the north of London, and there’s a project to replace a busy junction just south of Milton Keynes itself.
In Scotland, services out of the busiest station north of the border, Glasgow Central, will face disruption. Work to renew tracks and points will take place over a major junction between the station and the south-eastern suburb of Cambuslang. That will also affect the vital Polmadie Depot. Back in England, around Huddersfield, work will continue on the vast Transpennine Route Upgrade project. New tracks are being laid around the city. That has implications for all services passing through Huddersfield, and onward destinations such as the important cities of Sheffield and Leeds.
With 489 other projects, large and small, there is an album of works for almost every branch of the network. Every rail user, everywhere, should see some benefits, somewhere come next week. Whatever the demands of the crowd, this is one concert that Network Rail will be hoping doesn’t require an encore.
