Work complete on £6m main line rail upgrade
Passengers can expect a smoother and more reliable service on the North East’s main rail link following the completion of a £6m project.
East Coast Main Line services through Durham have been disrupted for the last five weekends as engineers replaced around 860 metres of track, ten sets of points, upgraded signalling equipment and revamped platforms.
Network Rail and train operators have thanked passengers for their patience while these major upgrades took place.
Paul Rutter, East Coast Route Director for Network Rail said: “Upgrading this equipment is essential for running trains reliably, reducing delays and getting passengers to where they need to be on time, so I’m pleased to see this valuable investment complete.
“I’ d like to thank passengers for planning ahead and using the rail replacement services and diversions that we worked with our train operating colleagues to provide.
"People travelling by train to, from or through Durham can now expect smoother, on time journeys.”
Completing all of this work over five weekends meant that the railway could remain open throughout the week to help commuters get to work as normal.
David Horne, managing director at LNER which manages Durham railway station, said: “This important upgrade work will make journeys even smooth er and more reliable for our customers.”
Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern, said: “All investment in rail infrastructure that improves service reliability is very much welcomed. It’ s great to see the work at Durham now complete and I’d like to thank customers for their patience while the work has been carried out.”