18.09.17
Great Western modernisation moves forward as NR completes key upgrade
Network Rail has this week reached a key milestone of the Great Western modernisation programme as it completed a key series of upgrades between Bristol Parkway and Swindon.
The line reopened on Saturday (16 September) following a long programme of work that took place along the 28-mile stretch of railway.
The electrification is being completed to prepare for GWR’s new fleet of Intercity Express Trains being built by Hitachi that are due to come into service in the autumn.
Around 5,000 Network Rail engineers put in more than 175,000 working hours throughout the four weeks of work, involving more than 14,000 tonnes of ballast, 2,600 concrete sleepers as well as 106km of wires and more than 500 foundations for electrification.
The works included efforts to improve the reliability and increase capacity at Bristol Parkway station, including track renewals and signalling upgrades. Further vital upgrades to accommodate the new trains took place as the extension of three platforms and the construction of a fourth platform at the station got underway, due for completion at the end of this year.
As part of this programme, electrification of the Chipping Sodbury tunnel was also completed with more than 8km of conductor rail and approximately 1,100 anchors drilled into the Victorian tunnel. The series of upgrades also enabled the first phase of the resilience scheme at a flood-prone area in Chipping Sodbury to be completed as part of the DfT’s Flood Resilience Programme.
“I’d like to thank passengers and those living near to the railway for their patience as we have completed this important work,” said David Buisson, Network Rail major programme director.
“I’d also like to thank our workforce for their efficient and safe delivery of these works and our colleagues at GWR who have worked hard to keep passengers moving throughout this programme of upgrades.
“We’ve made great strides towards electrifying this section of the railway over the past four weeks, and we will continue to work safely and tirelessly to bring the benefits of electrification to passengers in 2019.”
And Rob Mullen, GWR operations director, added the work is crucial to “maximising the benefits of our new Intercity Express Trains which enter service this year, with more seats compared to our existing trains and quicker journeys to London from 2019”.
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