Major track renewals near Grantham completed on time

Grantham track renewal (777) — The High Output track-renewals team completed the work in 53 hours - the equivalent of nine conventional weekend shifts.

Over Christmas 2019, Network Rail completed a £2.1 million project to renew almost 4km (2.4 miles) of track just south of Grantham.

Network Rail’s Track Renewal System (TRS) began work after the last service on Christmas Eve. As no services were due to run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the team could work in shifts for over 53 hours to complete the work, which would otherwise have taken nine overnight weekend shifts.

Between the last train on 24 December and the first train on 27 December, Network Rail and its supply partners spent over 5,500 hours on the project.

Over Christmas 2019, Network Rail completed 4km (2.4 miles) of track renewals near Grantham.

The TRS is a specialist engineering train that is a third of a mile long and, typically, relays half a mile of track per shift, removing the old rail and sleepers and replacing them with fresh new track.

The track renewal at Grantham is part of a £1.2 billion upgrade of the East Coast main line, which currently carries over 20 million passengers a year.

Network Rail High Output alliance director Ben Brooks said: “Completing this work over the Christmas break and causing no impact to services means passengers benefit from a smoother and more reliable railway more quickly.

“This has been a significant investment into the railway in Grantham which will help to improve services and keep trains running reliably for years to come.”