New signalling will be installed in and around Stafford station and a new freight loop will be built in the area which will free space for additional passenger services.
The upgrades are part of the Stafford Area Improvements Programme, which is designed to help improve capacity and reliability on the line between Stafford and Crewe. The work is being delivered by Network Rail working in alliance with consulting engineer Atkins and contractors Laing O'Rourke and VolkerRail.
Ian Jones, Network Rail programme manager and head of the Staffordshire Alliance, said: “The resignalling of Stafford is part of a wider package of investment in the West Coast main line between Stafford and Crewe which, when complete, will help to boost reliability and capacity and remove one of the last remaining bottlenecks on the route.
“Alongside linespeed improvements currently being delivered between Crewe and Stafford, these upgrades will mean a more reliable, faster and frequent service for the millions of passengers who travel on one of Europe’s busiest rail routes every month.”
The upgrades are part of the Stafford Area Improvements Programme which will help address capacity constraints and reliability issues on the section of line between Stafford and Crewe.
A third phase of the project has been proposed (which is subject to a development consent order), which would see the construction of a flyover at Norton Bridge near Stafford to remove the last major bottle neck on the route.
When complete, the upgraded section of line will be controlled by Network Rail’s rail operating centre in Rugby, one of 12 national centres that will eventually operate the entire rail network in Britain, replacing more than 800 signal boxes and signalling centres currently in use.
The signalling upgrade at Stafford will include:
- The installation of foundations, cable routes and new signals and gantries
- Installation of new signalling equipment, power supplies and telecommunications equipment
- Installation of new points and alterations to the existing track layout
- Conversion of the existing postal ‘siding’ to a new goods loop for use by freight traffic
- Overhead line works
- Conversion of platforms 1,3,4,5 and 6 at Stafford to bi-directional working (enabling trains to run in either direction, which in turn provides greater operational flexibility)
- Removal of two signal boxes from Stafford
The majority of the work will take place at weekends and overnight and the improved signalling and line is due to be fully operational by summer 2015, Network Rail said.
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