NETWORK Rail engineering teams took full advantage of the August Bank Holiday weekend to deliver a large number of upgrades and renewals.
The rail network was around 50% quieter than on normal weekdays, and various essential tasks were undertaken around the country. Some routes, including the West Coast Main Line into Euston, were closed, causing widespread disruption to services, but much of the network operated as scheduled.
In the south-east of England, 11 major projects were undertaken as part of a £10million programme of work to improve the routes connecting Kent and Sussex with the capital, as well as routine maintenance at dozens of other sites.
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Work included further track replacement at Sevenoaks Tunnel, a project which is due to be completed this month, replacement of switches and crossings on the approaches to London Victoria, and the replacement of all signalling equipment between Lewes and Seaford, as part of a £20m upgrade.
Further improvements between now and March 2019 will allow three times as many trains to use the line via Lewes as a diversionary route when the main line between Brighton and Haywards Heath is closed. Disused sidings at Newhaven Marine will also be upgraded to support a potential freight connection in the future.
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