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Railway Project Plans

The following indicates the major projects under construction by Network Rail.

 

Airdrie Bathgate Rail Link

After 50 years of closure to passenger and freight services, Network Rail have decided to re-open the Airdire to Bathgate line in Scotland. The £300 million project funded by Transport Scotland involves upgrading the existing lines between Bathgate and Edinburgh and re-laying 15 miles of track on the former disused line. Once completed, the line will be powered by overhead wires and will contain a double track layout. This will create many social, economic and environmental opportunities for people living in Scotlands' central belt.

For more information about the Airdrie-Bathgate rail link please click here.

 

Birmingham New Street

The £600m New Street redevelopment will see the current 1960s-built station transformed into a bright, modern, 21st century focal point for Birmingham.  It will be exactly the kind of station passengers deserve, and bring benefits to the perception and prosperity of the city and region.

The design will see New Street station wrapped in shimmering, carefully crafted stainless steel and includes a giant light-filled atrium. This bold concept will deliver a better and brighter station for the millions of people who use New Street every year.

The aim is to give Birmingham a world-class station boasting highlights such as:

• Room for even more passengers to use the station in comfort
• More accessible, brighter and clearer platforms, reached by new escalators and new public lifts 
• A grand concourse that is three and a half times bigger than at present and enclosed by a giant, light-filled atrium
• A stunning new station facade, adding to Birmingham's growing reputation for good design
• eight pedestrian entrances giving better links to and through the station 
• The stimulus for the physical regeneration of the areas surrounding the station leading to the potential creation of over 10,000 new jobs across the city

 

The action plan

• February 2007 - Outline planning application submitted to Birmingham City Council
• July 2007 - Network Rail confirms funding for the project following publication of Government's five year rail strategy
• February 2008 - Final stages of funding for New Street given green light by Government, Advantage West Midlands, Centro and Birmingham City Council
• September 2008 - Visionary concept designs for Birmingham Gateway project unveiled
• September 2009 - Preparatory work starts to prepare a former car park next to the station for the creation of a brand new concourse
• November 2009 - Detailed planning application submitted to Birmingham City Council
• 2012 - First phase of works complete and passengers start using a new station concourse with one and a half times more space. The old concourse is closed for redevelopment.
• 2015 - Second phase of work ends and the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station is complete. Both concourse areas are combined and passengers enjoy three and a half times more space than at present.  

The companies behind this project

Network Rail will deliver the New Street Gateway project. The redevelopment is funded jointly by Network Rail, Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham City Council and Centro.

For more information about the Birmingham New Street Project please click here.

 

Crossrail

Network Rail is a key partner in Crossrail and is making a £2.3bn investment in upgrading our network around the Capital to deliver it.

 

Edinburgh Waverley

Waverley Station is of critical importance to Scotland’s historic, environmental and commercial well-being, as well as being key to delivering capacity for new rail lines such as the reopening of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link.

The station was first opened in 1846 and was rebuilt between 1892-1902. It lies between the old town and modern Edinburgh, adjacent to Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle and the Princes Street Gardens. In terms of area, Edinburgh Waverley is Britain’s largest train station outside London, with approximately 23.5 million users per year and climbing. Over the past 15 years, the number of trains has increased by 50% to over 600 per day.

Over the next four years, Edinburgh Waverley will be transformed by a £130 million investment in the station and its facilities, creating an environment that meets the needs of passengers in the 21st century while preserving Waverley’s rich heritage.

The renewal programme includes:

• Replacement of the 34,000m² station roof with clear, strengthened glass to shed new light on the station concourse and platforms;
• New Market Street entrance, increasing accessibility to the station for users;
• Refurbishment of station concourse and main building exterior, improving facilities for passengers;
• Improvements to platforms 8 and 9, including new canopies and station furniture.

As well as these improvements, the station’s original ironwork features will be repaired and repainted while non-essential station furniture, buildings and redundant high-level walkways will be removed permanently.

For more information about the Edinburgh Waverley project please click here.

 

Euston Station 

Euston station is one of the busiest stations in the country and is used by over 70 million people each year. Euston station is the main rail gateway from London to the West Midlands, the North West and southern Scotland. The station currently suffers from congestion and the station facilities are limited.

Within the station Network Rail are:

• Upgrading the existing taxi rank area, creating 8 pickup bays.
• Introducing an innovative taxi share system, aimed at encouraging car sharing and reducing the cost of onward travel for our passengers.
• Upgrading the station toilet facilities.

For more information about the London Euston project please click here.

 

Gogar Rail Interchange 

Following the completion of the pre-planning submission consultation, Network Rail submitted its planning application on Friday 9th October for the construction of Gogar Rail Interchange to the City of Edinburgh Council. The pre-planning submission consultation is a requirement of the National Planning Framework process. Gogar Rail Interchange is the first infrastructure project to be progressed through the National Planning Framework. 

During the consultation, which included four public exhibitions, there was clear public support for the proposal and investment. The input from the public and stakeholder groups has lead to a number of changes to the initial design. Significantly, the high level link bridge at 1st floor station level has been removed from the original design and replaced with a shorter at-grade link bridge.  In addition the southern circulation tower has been moved northwards.  These changes will significantly shorten the passenger journey through the Interchange.

The design has also been improved to provide secure, covered cycle parking for a maximum of 100 cycles, including 5 cycle lockers immediately next to the station building. The cycle parking area will be supervised by CCTV. Cyclists will also benefit from lifts provided within the station building sufficiently large enough to accommodate bikes. The subway under the A8 from the Gyle Shoppng Centre will also provide access for both cycles and pedestrians.

Subject to securing planning permission, Network Rail will be on site between March and June 2010 with the construction of the new Interchange planned for completion by September 2011.

For more information about the Gogar Rail Interchange please click here.

 

Hitchin

Hitchin is at the heart of an increasingly popular railway. On the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, it marks the point at which the line divides towards Letchworth and Cambridge.

The decade has seen a 35% increase in passengers travelling between Peterborough and London and an 18% increase in journeys between London and Cambridge. In the past ten years, the amount of freight carried by rail nationally has increased by a massive 60%.
In the long term, passenger growth is expected to continue. So we need new infrastructure to meet the demand for rail travel. In February 2008, Network Rail published a Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) for the East Coast Main Line. This strategy explains the need to:

• Increase capacity for peak passenger services into London and other urban centres
• Increase and improve long distance passenger services throughout the day
• Provide capacity for freight growth

Cambridge Junction, north of Hitchin station, is one of the key bottle necks on the line and needs to be improved to meet these aims.

For more information about the Hitchin project please click here.

 

Kings Cross Station Re-Development

Network Rail is investing over £450m to transform King’s Cross station into a world class transport hub by 2013.

The station lies at the heart of the busiest transport interchange in the country, with over 47 million passengers using it every year. This number is expected to rise by a further 10 million within the decade. Network Rail’s project will transform King’s Cross into a 21st century station, equipped to meet future passenger demand while honouring the station’s Victorian history.

Construction is well underway on the complete transformation of King’s Cross station. The station links services from Edinburgh, Newcastle and the east coast to six different underground lines, Thameslink, and domestic and international services from neighbouring St Pancras.

Currently the station suffers from congestion during peak hours and shops and passenger facilities are limited. With passenger numbers expected to rise to over 50 million a year in the next ten years, and to cope with the influx of visitor for the 2012 Olympics, it is vital the station is transformed into a functional and pleasant environment.

The Benefits

Network Rail’s commitment at King’s Cross is to create a world class station for the millions of people who use it. We will deliver:

More space - The size of the concourse area will be tripled, providing room for current and future passenger numbers and more shops and seating areas for passengers to use while waiting for trains.

More light - The station will be a lighter and more pleasant place as a result of the glass and aluminum concourse roof and refurbished train shed roof.

More trains - Increased train capacity by building an additional platform which will also significantly reduce service disruption during construction.

Better connections - Links to the underground, Thameslink, and domestic and international services will be improved for all passengers with step-free access between transport options

 

Newport (Gwent) Station Re-Development

The £22m development of this station supports the city-wide vision to regenerate Newport. It will give passengers a bigger and better station with two brand new terminals and a uniquely styled conic frontage.

Built with a material that is also used by the Eden Project, Newport station will become the most eco-friendly in south Wales.

There will be a footbridge linking all platforms, lifts, modernised customer information systems and new CCTV and waiting shelters. Passengers will also benefit from a new and bigger car park, with more than 250 spaces, and a longer Platform 4 to accommodate more people and longer trains in the future.

The Newport Station Regeneration scheme is funded by Network Rail and the Welsh Assembly Government, with support from Arriva Trains Wales.

The station is designed by Grimshaw, in association with Atkins and delivered by Galliford Try.

 

North London Line

Network Rail started work at the beginning of the year on a £326 million upgrade of Transport for London’s (TfL) Overground network. When complete, passengers will see longer trains, more frequent services and benefit from reliable connections to the main London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Park in Stratford.

As part of the upgrade Network Rail engineers will:

• Upgrade more than 200 signals; 
• Renew 7km of track and 69 sets of points; 
• Lengthen 30 platforms; 
• Improve seven more stations.

The £326m work package is funded as follows: 76 percent of this amount is provided by TfL (with the Olympic Delivery Authority input of 33 percent), Network Rail is funding 23 percent and the Department for Transport, 1percent.

To find out more about the North London Line re-development please click here.

 

Nuneaton Station

Network Rail plan to build a short section of track, leaving the Leicester to Birmingham line and running parallel to the West Coast Main Line before rejoining the West Coast line near to Canal Farm Bridge. 

To find out more about the Nuneaton project, please click here.

 

London Paddington Station

Over the past 15 years Paddington station has undergone several improvement programmes –, new platform surfaces, improved passenger information systems and a new shopping, eating and waiting area called "The Lawn".

Today, Network Rail is working on a project to complete the renovation of the station’s entire roof, by restoring the final section of roof - Span 4.

Span 4 is the section of roof above platforms 9 to 12 at Paddington. It covers an extension to the Station completed in 1916, as the terminus began to outgrow Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s original designs. Today span 4 is hidden by hoardings and has a false ceiling to protect passengers from the glass above.

From Jan 2009 to late 2010, Network rail is investing £35 million to restore this Edwardian roof, to allow light to flood back in so that passengers will enjoy a lighter, brighter station. The roof renewal work will involve:

• Removing all existing walkways and structures
• Blasting and repairing all steel structures
• Replacing glazing and re-covering the roof
• Refurbishment of the platforms beneath the roof.

In addition, the parcels deck adjacent to the Span 4 roof is being strengthened, resurfaced and waterproofed to ensure this area is fully refurbished. This will also include cleaning of brickworks to the underside of the deck.

As the railway grows, we’re working across the UK to preserve the best of the past and prepare for the future. At Paddington, as elsewhere, restoration and development will go hand in hand with the improvements to span 4 being thought of in the context of the wider investment that is taking place at the station. The improvements to Span 4, for example, will allow the relocation of the taxi rank to the north east side of the station, making way for Crossrail.

 

Reading Remodelling

Network Rail is working closely with Reading Borough Council on this Government funded programme to tackle the bottle neck at Reading, one of the most critical rail hubs in Britain. Reading’s current track layout and signalling severely limits the number of services that can travel through the station. The project has funding of £425m to deliver a 37% improvement in train service performance reliability in the Reading area by 2015.

Reading will benefit from this project as will the many destinations that Reading serves, including London Paddington, Bristol, South Wales, Cornwall and Oxford, along with London Waterloo, Gatwick Airport and the south coast.

The scheme will optimise capacity and provide flexibility in timetabling along and across the Great Western Mainline routes.   The scheme’s benefits include:

• Five additional 10-car platforms will be introduced to increase passenger and freight capacity on routes from London to the South West and Wales
• An increase in the number of through platforms of 75% to allow faster and more reliable services
• A new underpass at the West End of the station for the Main Lines will further increase capacity and prevent delays to both passenger and freight trains crossing the main lines
• A new northern entrance for passengers from the Caversham area, supporting regeneration to this side of Reading

For more information about this project please click here.

 

Stratford Remodelling

Stratford station and the tracks that serve it are being modernised to improve accessibility and capacity. This is in readiness for the significant increase in passenger numbers with the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and new developments in the area. The benefits of the completed works will include:

• Nine new lifts that will make the station fully accessible for all passengers
• Two new station entrances that will greatly improve passenger flow
• New stairs that will improve access and reduce congestion
• Improved transport links and new subways that will make interchanges easier
• Stratford station and the Stratford City Development will be fully integrated via a new footbridge

These essential works are being funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority.

 

Thameslink Programme

The current Thameslink route was opened to passengers in May 1988 utilising the long disused Snow Hill tunnel to link the suburban services via central London on the Midland Main Line and the Brighton Main Line with a second branch serving the Wimbledon Loop.

The Thameslink route covers 140 miles (225 km) from Bedford to Brighton with 50 stations and links some of the countries busiest transport hubs including Luton and Gatwick Airports, St Pancras International and London Bridge Main line stations. It also provides interchanges with London Underground services at nine stations.

The route is one of the busiest and fastest growing in the UK but recent research though shows that up to 50% of current passengers say that trains are sometimes so full they are unable to board.

8 trains per hour (each up to 8 carriages in length) currently run through the central core section between St Pancras and Blackfriars with other services terminating at Blackfriars from the South and Moorgate from the North.

The line is one of very few in the UK which requires a changeover from overhead electrical power supply (North) to third rail (South).

For more information about the Thameslink Programme, please click here.

 

West Coast Mainline

On 7th December 2008 Network Rail completed its £9billion project to improve the West Coast Main Line – the key route linking London with cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. This major engineering project has brought massive benefits to passengers, with significantly more and faster trains. 

A key part of delivering such a massive improvement has been working hard with industry partners such as Virgin trains, London Midland and EWS. We will continue to work closely with all our industry partners to maintain and deliver this high performance railway. 

• Changes to all 13 major junctions on the route, including a significant bottleneck at Rugby, enabling trains to travel at up to 125mph
• Laying more than 36 kilometres of new track through the Trent Valley
• 174 new or altered bridges
• 53 new or extended platforms at places like Milton Keynes and Manchester Airport
• Replacing over 800 points (the bits of track that move trains from one line to another)
• Line speed improvements across the whole line, including between Preston, Carlisle and Motherwell and between London Euston and Wembley
• Putting up over 11,000 structures
• Over three million yards of rail, ballast and sleepers have been lai

For more information about the West Coast Mainline project please click here.

 

Whitemoor Yard 

Network Rail opened Whitemoor Yard Phase 1 in 2004. It is now vital in maintaining and improving the railway throughout Cambridgeshire, East Anglia and as far south as London, where it is important in supporting the 2012 Olympic Games investment.

The new yard has created over 40 new jobs. The development has also brought £2 million worth of other benefits to the area, including;

• a new cycle path
• a link road to reduce lorry trips through residential areas
• a multi-million pound signalling project, improving reliability of passenger and freight trains in the area.

 

In 2005 Network Rail, Cambridgeshire County Council and Fenland District Council were commended at the Royal Town Planning Institute achievement awards for ‘Bringing the railway back to March’. Whitemoor Yard has also won awards at the National Transport Awards and from the Institute of Civil Engineers.

It was always planned that Network Rail would build on the success of Whitemoor Yard Phase 1 with further railway facilities and new jobs for the local community.

For more information about the Whitemoor Yard project please click here.

 

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