Plans to improve passenger services on the busy East Coast Main Line took a major step forward last week as the Secretary of State for Transport approved Network Rail’s application for a railway flyover at Shaftholme, to the north of Doncaster.
The scheme, known as the North Doncaster Chord, will take slow moving freight trains travelling from the Humber ports up and over the ECML rather than across and along it. Diverting freight traffic will free up capacity for much needed passenger services and enable additional freight to be transported by rail rather than road, which is critical in supporting economic growth and helping reduce CO2 emissions.
The £45m investment is part of a wider package of work scheduled between 2009 and 2014 to improve capacity and reliability on the ECML. The route-wide enhancements, worth approximately £600m, include the construction of new sections of track, platforms and stations, which will help deliver faster, more frequent services.
Phil Verster, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “Britain relies on rail and with demand for rail travel increasing it’s essential that we invest in the railway to provide better services for passengers with more trains, additional seats and improved punctuality.
The government’s decision to grant permission for the North Doncaster Chord is a significant step forward in improving capacity and reliability on the busy East Coast Main Line.”
Preparatory work for the new flyover is already underway. The scheme will be constructed by an alliance between network Rail and Morgan Sindall and is expected to be completed in early 2014.
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