The railway line at a junction between Slough and Reading (Dolphin Junction) has reopened following the successful completion of Network Rail’s essential engineering work, which took place over the festive period.
Engineers worked throughout Christmas and New Year to renew the points and overhead lines on two of the four sets of tracks on the western side of the junction. The points are the railway components that allow trains to move from one track to another, enabling a flexible network.
The junction is usually very busy and is used by up to 48 trains per hour, seeing approximately 40 million tonnes of traffic each year. The force applied by the weight of passing trains means that points reach the end of their working life quicker than other types of railway infrastructure – this essential engineering work to replace them enhances the resilience of the line and enables the continued safe and reliable running of services.
An amended timetable was in place from Saturday 27 December for trains travelling to and from London Paddington to account for the reduction in the number of available lines. Services are now running to the normal timetable, with the line reopening before noon on Sunday.
Elsewhere on Network Rail’s Western route this Christmas, work continued to build a new station in the North Filton area of Bristol. A freight line was temporarily closed to allow engineers to realign the track and improve drainage, while teams also worked on new foundations for the platforms.
Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western route managing director, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carried out this vital work to renew infrastructure at a junction between Slough and Reading over the festive period.
“Fewer people travel by rail between Christmas and New Year compared to a normal working week, which gives us a valuable opportunity to deliver major upgrades such as this one while causing as little disruption as possible.
“Completing these improvements helps keep trains running safely and reliably, and we’re pleased to have reopened the line this morning, ahead of the first full working week of the year.”
Image credit: Network Rail