Latest Rail News

14.03.14

£2m Colne line renewal to go ahead – nine-day blockade

Network Rail is spending £2m on renewing a 1.5-mile stretch of track of track between Rose Grove and Brierfield in Lancashire to reduce the need for future maintenance and prevent disruption.

There will also be improvements made to a 2.3-mile section between Brierfield and Colne.

To complete the work, a nine-day closure of the line is required and there will be rail replacement buses from 30 March until 6 April, providing passengers with alternative travel between Colne and Rose Grove calling at Burnley Barracks, Burnley Central, Brierfield and Nelson.

As part of the work to renew the line, the jointed rail is being replaced by CWR (continuously welded rail). Network Rail says this will provide a “smoother, quieter and more reliable journey” for passengers.

Martin Frobisher, area director for Network Rail, said: “This work will provide an improved railway along the section of line between Colne and Rose Grove which will be more reliable and require less maintenance, helping us provide a safe and efficient railway.

“It is a significant piece of engineering which can only be carried out while the railway is closed. We have worked closely with Northern to plan the work so we can complete it as quickly and safely as possible and apologise for the disruption the work will cause.”

Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]

Comments

Jb   14/03/2014 at 13:40

And when will we see the restoration of the Colne to Skipton section which will provide a further trans Pennine route as well as serving towns on the way? Long overdue in my opinion.

Grahamh   15/03/2014 at 18:12

Next job: Put it back into Skipton! Long overdue; the road connection is tedious. It was ridiculous to have shut the link in the first place

Nonsuchmike   18/03/2014 at 14:36

Anybody with half a brain and a care for easing potential disruption and improving the lot of actual paying passengers would have realised long ago that that the Skipton to Colne re-link has to be made and has to be started soon. The economic argument is beyond reproof, so with the continued supposed impossibility of the Woodhead being re tunnelled there are precious few alternatives routes trans Pennine should there be an accident of other act of God. The operating company, were it a NFP organisation as is the East Coast, would be demanding that the Government help with organising the start to dualling the route in addition to the Cornholme curve. Then, of course, there is the problem of too few modern carriages available up north either electric or MDUs or biphase ..... but don't get me started on that!

Simon H Le'strange   29/03/2014 at 07:28

It is without any drought that this rail line was closed by mistake back in 1970, from reading the passenger, and freight numbers, we now know that between Rose Grove (Burnley), and Skipton North Yorkshire, this line had over 560,000 using it between 1967, 68. SELRAP, within the next 2/3 week's will be publishing the Arup part 1B GRIP 2 study, which seems to show a very positive business case, but the ultimate study will be a full GRIP 3, which is now in the process of being started, funding is still to be sort for this, which could cost up to £90,000, with about 17,000 being in the pot for this. Any donations towards this next stage would be more than welcome at SELRAP.

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