King’s Cross
King’s Cross is to partially close for three months in early 2020 to allow for major track remodelling and asset renewal.
KING’S Cross is to partially close for three months in early 2020 to allow for major track remodelling and asset renewal, RAIL can exclusively reveal.
Network Rail has confirmed that up to 50% of the UK’s ninth busiest station will be shut between January and March 2020, to complete the £237 million project.
The work will involve all track, sub-systems and overhead line equipment being renewed in the station throat for a distance of up to 1.5 miles from the buffer stops, while the approaches will also be rationalised for the first time since 1972 (when most of the current layout was installed by British Rail).
This includes re-siting a large number of switches and crossings currently located near to the platform ends. They will be moved further north to either within Gasworks Tunnel or the cutting between Gasworks Tunnel and Copenhagen Tunnel, in order to reduce conflicting movements and increase line speeds.
The most easterly bore of Gasworks Tunnel will also reopen for the first time since 1972, to increase the station’s four-track approach to six.
Life-expired signalling assets are to be renewed and control transferred from King’s Cross signal box (which will close) to York Rail Operating Centre.
NR’s London North Eastern and East Midlands Route Managing Director Rob McIntosh told RAIL that although conventional signalling equipment would be installed, the system will be made ‘ETCS-ready’ ahead of the further rollout of NR’s Digital Railway programme.
RAIL understands that a contract has already been signed with an unnamed supplier to complete the signalling aspect of the project, while all trackwork will be undertaken by the S&C North Alliance (comprising Amey Sersa and NR).
88% of the total project cost (£208m) will be met through McIntosh’s route-based settlement for renewals in Control Period 6 (April 2019-March 2024), with the remaining 12% (£29m) funded by the Department for Transport for rail enhancements.
“I’m very excited that we’re doing this remodeling and the signalling re-control that goes with it,” said McIntosh.
“It will give us capacity for an extra 1.5 trains per hour ahead of the 25% increase in long-distance services planned for the timetable change in December 2021.”
Further capacity will also be released before 2021 by additional enhancements planned for the East Coast Main Line, including a fourth track being installed between Huntingdon and Woodwalton and the construction of a grade--
separated junction to the north of Peterborough at Werrington.
Both schemes are still in development and pending final approval by the DfT.
McIntosh said that NR, which owns and operates King’s Cross, had already produced a robust plan to limit disruption to passengers during the partial blockade, in conjunction with the four main passenger companies that currently serve King’s Cross (Virgin Trains East Coast, Grand Central, Hull Trains and Great Northern).
The station currently registers some 38 million passengers per annum. They will begin to be consulted on these plans during 2018.
He added: “Some of the station will need to close while we take one half of the track out and replace it, and then do the other half. But we have worked up a plan with the operators which will go out to public consultation later this year.
“We know from the experience of other major station blockades we’ve done recently, such as Glasgow Queen Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Waterloo, that if you engage with passengers soon enough, then disruption can be well managed.”
The first preparatory works commenced at King’s Cross at Christmas, including signalling correlation.