Network Rail has announced that there has been a reduction in the number of delays for services travelling into London Victoria thanks to new signalling upgrades.
Southern and Gatwick Express passengers that are travelling into the capital have seen a 55% reduction in delays, thanks to the switching on of a brand-new signalling system in South London. Last Christmas, the new signal came into use on the line between Balham, Clapham Junction and London Victoria, being brought in to replace the old system that had been in use since the early 1980s and was unreliable.
Work in the area has led to:
- Delays being educed from a peak number of 4,000 per month, to as low as 1,800 per month this year, following the introduction of the new signalling.
- Line speeds have increased, and train punctuality has improved thanks to the new upgrades and equipment, particularly at Clapham Junction.
- With a more reliable railway in South London, maintenance teams from Network Rail can move on to focus on other areas of the railway that need maintenance and repairs.
Network Rail’s Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe, said:
“Investment in the railway is vital to delivering safe and reliable services for our passengers. Our investment to upgrade the signalling and track in South London is really bearing fruit with delays being reduced by a whopping 55% on lines into London Victoria – that's as much as 36 hours a month that passengers weren’t stuck on trains for longer than they needed to be.
“We’re looking forward to achieving similar improvements for passengers from signalling upgrades in the Crystal Place, Tulse Hill and Peckham area which are under way and set to finish in February 2024, and signalling upgrades between Nunhead, Battersea and Herne Hill, which will come to an end in 2025.
“We know that the changes to services to support the delivery of this work are disruptive and we’re sorry to any passengers whose journeys are disrupted during this time. Please rest assured the new signalling and track upgrades will deliver tangible benefits for passengers travelling today and long into the future.”
Upgrades at a number of other major junctions in the area are also coming as part of the London Victoria South London re-signalling programme. This programme will see engineers work on a major upgrade package to modernise the outdated track and signalling on the lines that go into London Victoria from the South.
Image credit: iStock
