04.12.13
Waterloo station track work planned for Christmas
Track renewals at Waterloo station will begin over Christmas, the Network Rail / South West Trains alliance has announced.
The alliance is investing around £1m in track upgrades, including the replacement of switches and crossings. The work will affect platforms 1-9 and take place over 27-29 December.
A road crane will lift pre-built sections of track onto the railway, and then moved into place using a crane on the railway. Old track will be removed from the worksite by an engineering train.
Around half of the normal trains will be available for passengers.
Tim Shoveller, managing director of the alliance, said: “We normally see around half the number of passengers travelling over Christmas than at other times of the year, so it provides a good opportunity to carry out much needed improvement work on the track on the busy approach to the Waterloo station. This will provide a more reliable infrastructure which will help to deliver a better level of service to passengers.
“Since the start of the alliance, we have hugely increased the amount of maintenance on our network and are now investing an extra £3m a year to improve the quality of the infrastructure on the UK’s busiest commuter network. At the same time, we are pushing ahead with plans to significantly improve the infrastructure around Waterloo station by extending existing platforms and bringing all of the former international platforms back into use.
“Using a road crane to lift pre-built sections of track onto the railway is part of the alliance’s efforts to complete the work as quickly as possible and keep disruption to a minimum. We are committed to improving the network and will continue to invest in Waterloo station and the track on the approach to provide a better railway for passengers.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]