Success at Werrington Junction
IN MID-JANUARY Network Rail successfully pushed the 11,000-tonne curved concrete box into position beneath the East Coast Main Line at Werrington Junction, just north of Peterborough. The nine-day operation was a first for UK engineering and the new infrastructure will allow freight trains to dive underneath the passenger lines to and from the joint line, thus avoiding conflicting movements. The box was pushed into place at 150cm per hour by four hydraulic jacks. The technique allowed trains to continue to run on two other lines, and, with passenger numbers well down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, very few people were affected by the works.
Teams of workers removed three of the tracks, lifted the overhead wires and dug out spoil from the site. Once the tunnel was in place everything was put back ready for regular services to resume. The work was carried out safely, in line with Government COVID-19 guidance.
Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast Route, said: “Our teams have completed this challenging piece of engineering in a creative way, which also allowed a reduced train service to continue for those who still had to travel. Over the nine days we’ve made major progress on this vital project, which will bring faster and more reliable journeys for passengers on the East Coast Main Line.”
David Horne, LNER Managing Director, said: “This essential part of the East Coast Upgrade will allow faster, more frequent LNER services between London, the North of England and Scotland by creating a new and improved route for slower trains to cross the main line. We look forward to working with Network Rail on the remaining East Coast Upgrade engineering works in the first half of this year, so that we can deliver the benefits for our customers and communities of this significant investment.”
The next stage of the project at Werrington involves work to install two new tracks inside the new tunnel and the associated signalling system, ready for it to come into use at the end of 2021.