01.09.12
£100m investment for Nottingham rail network
Source: Rail Technology Magazine Aug/Sept 2012
Kate Ashley reports on the upcoming changes to Nottingham’s rail infrastructure.
Network Rail is embarking on a £100m renovation and refurbishment of the tracks, signals and station in Nottingham.
The plan is to re-lay six miles of track, install more than 140 new signals and expand the station, all designed with the Government’s plans to electrify the line to Nottingham in mind, announced in the HLOS.
Three signal boxes and two footpath crossings will be closed and two level crossings to the east will be renewed.
Network Rail route managing director Martin Frobisher said: “This investment in Nottingham will bring a huge improvement for passengers. Nottingham is such an important city in the East Midlands and the station improvements will create the gateway which the city deserves. The improvements to the railway infrastructure will improve the flexibility, speed and reliability of the services to and from the city.”
The plans will be coordinated with other projects that the city is undergoing, most notable the Nottingham Hub Project which includes the expansion of the station to include another platform, a refurbished main entrance hall and a new southern entrance linking to the tram station being built on a bridge over the railway. The wider Hub project is being delivered by Network Rail, Nottingham City Council and East Midlands Trains.
Some work on the resignalling element has already begun, with some gantries now in place, but the bulk of the work will take place next summer.
David Horne, managing director of East Midlands Trains, welcomed the investment and said: “We are pleased that Network Rail will be making this investment in the railway at Nottingham. We will be working closely with them over the next year to prepare for the major work and keep our passengers informed about the changes they can expect to their service in summer 2013 when this important improvement work will be carried out.”
The refurbishment and expansion of Nottingham station is due to start in September and the installation of the new signals has already begun. The signalling has been commissioned for August 24 and 25 next year – marking the end of Trent power signal box after 44 years of service – while the Hub Project is due to be finished by December 2013, and Nottingham’s extended tram system is set for completion in late 2014.
The area will come under the control of the latest generation of signal control centres at Derby, delivering greater reliability and efficiency, Network Rail said.
Timetable changes will be in place between July 20 and August 26 next year, with many bus replacement services likely.
Frobisher said: “We realise this will cause disruption to passengers and have made every effort to minimise the length of time our resignalling will take. As the summer is the quietest period for the railway, this is the best time to do the work. We have worked very closely with the cricket ground to make sure that the railway improvement work does not conflict with the Ashes test match. A full timetabled train service will operate throughout the test match.”
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