Network Rail have announced that the engineering works have been completed.
Network Rail engineers have successfully completed a massive upgrade of the railway around Guildford.
Between Friday 10 and Monday 20 April, teams worked a total of 20,000 hours to improve track, power supplies and signalling equipment around Guildford, one of the busiest parts of Network Rail’s Wessex route.
Around 1,500 metres of new track was installed on lines approaching Guildford from Worplesdon and Wanborough, used by South Western Railway (SWR» ) and Great Western Railway (GWR▸ ) for services to Gatwick Airport, London Waterloo, Reading, Woking and other major stations. The new track, designed to last up to 60 years, will see fewer failures that can cause delays.
Forty one track circuits, vital parts of the area’s signalling system, were upgraded to improve reliability whilst 1,200 metres of conductor rail used to power trains was renewed on the line from Guildford to Clandon.
At St. Catherine’s Tunnel, between Guildford and Shalford, engineers removed around 800 tonnes of sand and strengthened an embankment and rockface to prevent landslips. A 20mph speed restriction, imposed late last year following two landslips, was successfully removed and will allow trains to travel at normal speeds through the area, further reducing the risk of delays in the area.
At Guildford station itself the station’s overbridge, used by hundreds of thousands of passengers and local residents every year, was given a facelift with new paintwork and anti-slip tiles.
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/railway-around-guildford-reopens-after-biggest-improvements-for-nearly-40-yearsEngineers will return to Guildford over the coming weeks, as planned, to conduct follow up work. This will take place on the following dates:
- Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April
- Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May
People making essential journeys are advised to check with their train operator for information about services.
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