Network Rail has completed major signalling work on a new section of track north of Peterborough that will allow freight trains to begin using a new tunnel and divert underneath the East Coast Main Line.
This will lead to faster, more reliable services for both passengers and freight.
Over 4–5 September, engineers commissioned the signalling system, which will allow trains to safely run on the two new tracks.
Part of the 1.2 billion GBP (1.39bn euros | 1.65bn USD) East Coast Upgrade, work began onsite at Werrington in 2018 with the 11,000-tonne tunnel, which was built onsite as trains continued running on the East Coast Main Line, pushed into place in January 2021.
Teams then installed around eight kilometres of track in the area which runs through the new tunnel. Over the summer, work has been completed to connect the new track to the existing Stamford lines and put the signalling equipment in place.
Essential testing will take place over the next few weeks, with trains are expected to begin using the tunnel by the end of 2021.
“We've completed vital signalling work over the weekend which will allow freight trains to begin using the new tunnel and divert underneath the East Coast Main Line, rather than crossing it, from later this year.
“Our teams have completed the vast majority of this project, without impacting on train services. It’ll bring faster, more frequent and more reliable services for passengers travelling between London, Peterborough, the North of England and Scotland.”
