Rail services resume following upgrade work

3 days ago

Danny Fullbrook

News image — A mile-long section of track was worked on between Milton Keynes and Northampton

Network Rail Workers in orange clothing and white hard hats work on a railway line at dusk. They are wearing safety helmets as a jet of bright sparks flies from the track they are using tools on. — A mile-long section of track was worked on between Milton Keynes and Northampton

Trains are running once again on a stretch of railway that was upgraded over the festive period.

The Network Rail project involved four railway lines at Hanslope Junction, between Milton Keynes and Northampton, with work beginning on Christmas Eve.

Faults at the junction had caused delays in recent years, and it is hoped the work will reduce disruption for passengers using the West Coast Main Line.

All lines were reopened at 04:00 GMT on Monday.

Network Rail Workers in orange clothing and white hard hats on a railway track and platform. — Work was also carried out on one of the platforms at Milton Keynes Central Station

Network Rail said the junction was used by up to 500 trains a day, and the project – which cost £26m – took nearly a year of planning.

Workers replaced 130 track panels and renewed the foundation stone beneath the tracks.

There were also improvements made to points, switches and crossings.

Follow-up work is scheduled for Hanslope Junction on 11 and 25 January, with trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton suspended while it takes place.

While the line was closed, other projects took place nearby.

Uneven surfaces on platform 4 at Milton Keynes Central Station were replaced. Elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, there was resurfacing work on platforms 3 and 4 at Wolverton Station to improve stepping distances between trains and the platforms.

At Roade, Northamptonshire, about 1,500m of new rail was installed.

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