A major four-year package of work to modernise 1980s track and signalling on the lines into London Victoria station is about to begin.
The upgrades being carried out by Network Rail will improve reliability on the network, helping even more passenger and freight trains arrive at their destinations on time.
This phase of work being carried out between London Victoria, Clapham Junction and Balham, and the West London Lines from Clapham to Shepherds Bush includes numerous improvements such as:
- Multimillion-pound investment in signalling, track, civils, power systems and telecoms
- 93 new modern LED signals
- 17 signal gantries replaced with new easier maintained structures
- 3 new power supply points for the signalling and points heating equipment
- 186 new axle counters (train detection equipment)
- 200,000 metres of new signalling, telecoms and power supply cable
- 8 key junctions and 50 points renewed to achieve greater track reliability and minimise disruption
- Re-control to the Clapham and Balham areas from the 1970s Victoria Area Signalling Centre to the state-of-the-art Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre
The work will get fully underway this month and will continue until after Christmas 2022.
Upgrades between Tulse Hill, Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace, and between Nunhead, Herne Hill and the Battersea area will follow between 2022 and 2025.
Shaun King, Route Director, Sussex said: “It’s vital that we continue to modernise the rail network so that we can build back better, stronger and more reliable than ever before for passengers and freight users.
“Much of the track and signalling in South London is more than 40 years old and it’s also some of the most intensively used in the country. The work we are doing on the lines into Victoria over the next few years will keep passengers moving safely and reliably long into the future.”
Southern Customer Services Director Chris Fowler said: “The route to Victoria is one of our busiest and a signal failure or track fault here creates delays across the south-east. That’s why we welcome Network Rail’s initiative and will support them by altering our train service and arranging alternative transport each weekend their engineers are working.”
For full details as to which services will be affected and when click here.
Images: Network Rail
