'New era' at Crewe as £190m railway signalling upgrades complete
Passenger and freight trains are now benefitting from a £190m overhaul of the signalling system around Crewe.
Network Rail's investment in Crewe has seen improvements to track, lineside equipment and digital signalling installed at Basford Hall freight depot and the lines which connect it to the West Coast main line.
On Friday 3 January, all systems went live with full control of the new signalling successfully switched to the state-of-the-art Rail Operating Centre in Manchester.
It's the culmination of two years' work which this Christmas saw three traditional signal boxes retired from service and replaced by the latest digital technology already directing trains across much of the North West.
The work has seen:
- 65 new LED signals installed
- 6 new structures built to display them for drivers
- 24km of new signalling power cable
- 30km of fibreoptic cabling connecting everything together
- 7 new buildings to house control systems
- 5 km of railway drainage renewals
74 sets of points upgraded including heating systems to stop them freezing in cold weather
The significant signalling upgrade needed a phased closure of the railway in Crewe over the festive period.
It saw changes to passenger journeys over 10 days, and involved one of the largest rail replacement bus operations the town has ever seen.
Network Rail worked closely with Avanti West Coast for many months on detailed plans to keep passengers moving over the Christmas closure.
Network Rail's North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, Christian Irwin, said: "This is the start of a new era for the way we signal freight and passenger trains through Crewe, one of the busiest junctions on Britain's railway.
"This major investment, using the latest technology, benefits both passengers and freight, getting people and goods to where they need to be more smoothly and reliably.
"We know that over Christmas this has caused disruption for passengers and we'd like to thank you for bearing with us while we made these crucial Crewe upgrades which will improve future journeys for years to come."
Crewe Alexandra FC's car park on Gresty Road became the base for the rail replacement operation, with 400 coaches carrying customers on December 27 alone.
Freightliner safety and sustainability director, Louise Ward, said: "Basford Hall is one of our big hub locations, it is the point where we join freight trains which are going on to London and where we split trains which are going up to the North of the country.
"The resignalling is all about making the railway as efficient and resilient as it can possibly be.
"This major investment will make sure that freight and people get to where they need to be, when they need to be there."
As the work progressed the railway gradually reopened in four stages, with all lines returning to normal service on January 3.
Avanti West Coast operations director, Chris Liptrot, added: "We are excited the upgrades to the signalling system at Crewe are now complete and would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding, as well as Crewe Alexandra Football Club for their efforts to support those making rail journeys, while Network Rail carried out these works.
"Modernising the signals at a key hub on our network is an important milestone for the railway and will help to make journeys on the West Coast Main Line more reliable for decades to come."
For more information on how Network Rail upgrades its signalling equipment, visit HERE.
READ MORE: Major Crewe road closes for one week allowing new development.
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