During the Christmas and New Year break, Network Rail engineers completed £22m worth of essential upgrades across its Western region.

In the London area, signalling on the line between Paddington and Slough has been upgraded.

Ageing and unreliable signalling equipment has been replaced with modern and reliable equipment.

At Stonehouse, three miles from Stroud in Gloucestershire, the railway bridge over the Stroudwater Navigation at the Ocean in Stonehouse was replaced on behalf of the Cotswold Canals Connected Project.

Engineers worked 24/7 between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day to replace a culvert with a bridge large enough to allow boats to pass through for the first time since 1968. The project is part of the long-term aim to connect the River Severn with the River Thames via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and the Cotswold canals.

In South Gloucestershire, over 1 km. of new track was laid either side of Bristol Parkway station. Rail-mounted diggers, cranes and bulldozers were used to remove and replace the old rail, sleepers and ballast with nearly 2,200 tonnes of ballast, over 1,400 sleepers, and new rails.

At Bristol Temple Meads, tactile paving was laid along the edge of the station platforms as part of the Bristol Rail Regeneration programme.

The work began on Christmas Day and was completed on Tuesday, 4 January, although further work planned is in the next few months

Mike Gallop, Network Rail Western route and strategic operations director, said: “I’m really pleased with the upgrades our engineers have completed over the festive period. These upgrades will help ensure we continue to run a safe and reliable railway for years to come, not forgetting also enabling boats to pass through the canal at the Ocean in Stonehouse for the first time since 1968.”

“Undertaking this work over the festive period when there are fewest people travelling – particularly with no trains on Christmas Day and very few on Boxing Day – ensured the number of passengers disrupted were kept to a minimum. However, we are grateful to passengers and local residents living near to our work sites for their patience and understanding while we have undertaken these upgrades.

“The festive period is a really critical time for us to make vital upgrades to the railway and completing £22m of engineering work is no mean feat so I’d also like to thank the many men and women from Network Rail who gave up their festive periods so we can complete these upgrades for the benefit of our passengers.”

Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said: “We always work closely with Network Rail to make sure essential track and signalling improvements can take place when fewer people are travelling, and this Christmas and New Year was no exception.

“These upgrades are important to ensure we can continue to provide safe and reliable services and I’m grateful to our customers for the patience they have shown during this time.
“I’d like to thank the project teams for their hard work and dedication over the festive period and I’d also remind customers to continue to check their journeys into the new year due to the impact of Covid and associated staff availability.”