One of the worst bottlenecks on the East Coast main line is the junction at Werrington, near Peterborough.
Currently, slow moving freight trains using the Stamford lines and the Great Northern Great Eastern lines need to cross over three lines of the East Coast main line, causing high speed passenger trains to have to slow down. This multimillion pound investment will mean freight trains no longer need to do this but will instead dive under the East Coast main line.
Network Rail submitted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) in 2016 to begin work on the project, which is one of the crucial pieces of work to improve travel on the line. Network Rail has worked closely with members of the public and key stakeholders on the project, and the dive under was selected as the preferred option for the scheme based on their feedback.
This investment, combined with the introduction of new trains, other schemes on the route and revised timetables will not only create space for additional train services between London and the North, but will also help ease congestion and reduce journey times.
Network Rail’s delivery partners are Morgan Sindall, Mott MacDonald, and Siemens (signalling), with Arup having conducted some of the environmental and consents work. Construction will begin later this summer and the dive-under is expected to be completed by early 2021.
Rob McIntosh, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “This is a significant investment into the railway in this area which, when coupled with other upgrades on this route, will have widespread benefits for those travelling between London and the North through an increased capacity of 33 per cent.”
Read more: Rail Engineer September 2018: Signalling and InnoTrans
Meanwhile, the Midland Main Line serving the four major cities of Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, remains languishing in obscurity. To remain a polluting diesel backwater for many years to come. The only major cities not on the electrified network. Still it’s only the Northern Poorhouse, not London so they dont count.
What about other key junctions on the East Coast Main Line. Such as a new junction at Newark where EMT trains can safely cross over or under the ECML towards Lincoln and Grimsby. And upgrades to at Colton Junction southwest of York where it meets with the North Pennine Lines where a dive under or flyover where there is 4 track and separates at Church Fenton, North Yorkshire. Which could do with a dive under or flyover and to allow some of LNER trains from London to use the slower part of the track towards York. Or to build a dive under so that the 2 parts of the Quadtruple lines can cross over the ECML at Colton Junction without causing any delays. And to help reduce the bottleneck on the ECML. That Northern & TransPennine Express trains from York that is used on services to Leeds, Manchester, Hull, Harrogate and Liverpool.