SLOW PROGRESS UNDER THE WIRES

INFRASTRUCTURE improvements included the remodelling of the approach to London King's Cross, with the eastern bore of Gasworks Tunnel reopened to give six tracks instead of four. The £259 million project was completed on April 26 after a final threeday blockade. Elsewhere, there was much talk of the importance of electrification, but physical progress during the year was modest. Electric services finally reached Corby in May, using Class 360 units transferred from Greater Anglia, and the first through electric working from Swindon to Cardiff ran in July.

A small addition to the third rail network came with the reopening of the Island Line on the Isle of Wight, when a passing loop at Brading came into use. Services on the upgraded 8½-mile line between Ryde and Shanklin resumed on November 1, having been suspended since January 4. With a price tag of £25 million, the upgrading included new track, the Brading passing loop, modernised signalling and raised platforms, as well as new trains. The work had originally been scheduled for completion in March and had been delayed by various issues, including pandemic restrictions, flash flooding and software problems.