A £2m upgrade of the London Overground and Bakerloo lines between London Euston and Watford has been completed successfully, and the lines reopened to traffic yesterday, Friday, 9th August.

Old equipment along the 16-mile stretch of line in north London had become unreliable.

To close such a busy route at any time was bound to be inconvenient, but the summer holidays were chosen as it was the least busy time.

Engineers worked around the clock to improve this important section of the railway line, and Network Rail has released impressive drone footage of the work.

Now that the work has been completed, passengers will benefit from fewer delays and smoother journeys.
Work carried out during the upgrade included:

• Renewing the power supply for the signalling equipment, including 32.5km of new cabling and a number of lineside power distribution cabinets.
• Replacing 3km of conductor rail that provides power to the trains.
• Renewing the high voltage power supply for the conductor rails, including replacing 3km of aging 11kV power cables.
• Upgrading track switches and crossings.

Network Rail has also chosen August to carry out upgrades on other routes in the country.

I would like to thank passengers for their patience throughout this work which is vital for the continued safe and reliable running of the railway from Euston to Watford.

Normal service has now resumed and the work that has been completed will ensure more reliable journeys for passengers travelling on the route in future.

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director