R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

2
156
East Coast Main Line: London to Edinburgh continued
Our ECML upgrade scheme continued
Edinburgh Waverley We will continue to invest in improved passenger facilities at Edinburgh Waverley. Our growth predictions indicate that
significant alterations will be required to create additional capacity.
Freight priority route The freight operators on the ECML are forecasting significant growth. Many of the proposals described above will lead to a
railway that caters for the growth of high-speed train services alongside existing freight services. A fundamental part of our
philosophy is to upgrade (and in one case, reopen) parallel lines as well as upgrading two- and three-track sections to four
tracks to take slower-moving traffic off the main line. This will release capacity for high-speed services to the benefit of
passenger and other high-speed services.
The freight priority route from London to Newcastle is proposed as below:
• London–Peterborough: via Hertford Loop, plus restoration of additional tracks between Huntingdon and Peterborough.
• Peterborough–Doncaster: the parallel route via Lincoln will be upgraded. The flyover at Peterborough and remodelling of
the layout at Doncaster is integral to this section.
• Doncaster–York: reinstatement of a chord line at South Elmsall and upgrading of the Moorthorpe–Church Fenton Line and a
new loop at Skellow.
• Northallerton–Newcastle: upgrading the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe–Stockton–Ferryhill route, reinstatement of the Leamside
(Ferryhill–Gateshead) Line and Norwood Curve at Bensham.
These major schemes overcome the capacity barriers and delays to freight services imposed by the various double-track
sections on the ECML. Coupled with existing and proposed four-track sections of the main line, they are equivalent to four
tracking the ECML from Newcastle to the London area giving freight operators better transit times and the opportunity to
increase the numbers of trains. A study into the route’s capability to take larger gauge freight traffic has also been undertaken,
and we are consulting with freight operators to identify realistic needs. The freight priority routes may lead to new and exciting
opportunities to develop local services and new stations. An example of such would be a new passenger service via the
Leamside Line from Middlesbrough to Newcastle via new stations in County Durham and at Washington. Additional funding
and support is actively being sought from local authorities and PTEs to facilitate such a scheme.
In addition, we are currently assessing the options to provide appropriate capacity for both existing and projected freight train
volumes north from Newcastle to central Scotland.
Tilting train operation To successfully operate tilting trains and improve journey times by moving at faster speeds, we will need to close or divert
many occupational and footpath level crossings, create linespeed improvements, enlarge clearances, provide additional areas for
trackside safety, enhance signalling and make track modifications.
Power upgrades Existing overhead-line power supplies are already stretched at a number of locations and further upgrades to power supplies
are required to increase capacity, reliability and improve journey times. Power supply upgrades are an essential part of the
capacity upgrade as is the development of the railway layout. Particular power-supply bottlenecks exist in the Home Counties,
Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Scotland.
Thameslink 2000 In addition to the above, the Thameslink 2000 project is planned to be constructed between 2002 and 2006, allowing a
completely new high-intensity timetable between Peterborough, Cambridge and stations south of London including East
Croydon and Gatwick Airport. As well as meeting the current needs for commuter travel to central London, the new services
will create many new journey opportunities and increase the demand for travel.
Parkway stations A number of operators, in particular Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), have identified key regions where access to rail
services could be improved through building new ‘parkway‘ stations. The introduction of such stations would also help alleviate
local road congestion in the centres of busy urban areas.
The feasibility of parkways to the east of Edinburgh, adjacent to the M18 in South Yorkshire, and North of London (M25) are
being considered in conjunction with train operators, local authorities and passenger groups.
Railtrack is considering other possible station sites.