Network Rail has announced that it will spend £60m to improve drainage on the rail network in Yorkshire and the North East. It said that this will help to prevent major disruption caused by landslips and heavy rain, as well as improving safety.
The infrastructure manager reported that, in the last year alone, there had been 35 landslips in the North of England, causing major disruption to passengers and communities. As well as being expensive and time-consuming, it said that these incidents often proved dangerous.
Increased rainfall also brings its own challenges, with rainwater running onto the railway from neighbouring land, flooding lines and causing severe delays and cancellations.
April marks the start of Network Rail’s latest five-year control period (funding cycle) and £60m will be spent on improving drainage in Yorkshire and the North East to help tackle incidents such as these.
This funding will see major drainage schemes take place at Rotherham, Goole, Immingham, and Horsforth, the creation of 40 new dedicated drainage roles on the route, as well as investing in new and existing technology such as remote condition monitoring and CCTV.
Network Rail’s North & East route serves 178 stations from major towns and cities including Sheffield, Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hull as well as more rural communities in Yorkshire and Northumberland including Grosmont, Hexham, and Grindleford.
Over the next five years, the route will spend £2.1bn on the day-to-today running of the railway and a widespread programme of renewals and upgrades on the network, improving the experience of passengers as they travel by train.
With this funding, Network Rail’s North & East route is committed to delivering a reliable railway that meets the needs of its passengers and communities, improving the resilience of the rail network, and continually driving to improve safety for passengers and colleagues.
Jason Hamilton, Route Director for Network Rail’s North & East route, said: “Over the next five years, we are committed to making the rail network across our route better for all our passengers.
“Climate change is an ever-increasing problem for our aging infrastructure, but we are proactively working to tackle the issue and improve the reliability and resilience of our network.
“This is being done through setting up new teams, utilising new and existing technology, and carrying out major drainage projects across the route.
“We will also be carrying out major improvements to track, switches & crossings, the equipment used for trains to cross from one track to another, signals, level crossings, and more to improve train performance and increase reliability for passengers.”
Nationally, Network Rail has announced the start of its £45.4bn rail improvement plan aimed at delivering a simpler, better, greener railway, with major plans to tackle the extremes of climate change.
