02.01.15
Abbey Line successfully re-opened after 30-day closure
The St Albans Abbey Line is back open, following a 30-day closure for improvements as part of Network Rail’s £81m Watford Area Renewals Programme.
Work on the single-track line included an extensive vegetation clearance programme, graffiti removal, improving connections for overhead lines and mechanising the junction that connects the Abbey Line to the West Coast Main Line.
During the closure of the route, which runs between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey, a section of the West Coast Main Line was also closed on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December as part of the project, meaning no trains were able to run into and out of London Euston.
This section of track, between Apsley and Wembley, along with the Abbey Line were both successfully reopened before 4am on 29 December in time for the start of service.
Jim Syddall, acting route managing director for Network Rail, said: “I would like to thank passengers and those who live alongside the railway for their patience during this work.
“There is never a good time to close the railway and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. We have successfully installed new, modern signalling and renewed the junction which connects the Abbey Line to the West Coast Main Line to deliver more reliable services.”
In the upcoming January 2015 edition of RTM, we catch up with John Nixon, senior programme manager on the renewals project, about the work on the Abbey Line and the wider Watford works.
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