{"id":433099,"date":"2026-05-20T19:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=193631"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T09:25:17","slug":"win-win-for-newts-and-engineers-during-major-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=433099","title":{"rendered":"Win-win for newts and engineers during major upgrades"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Endangered great crested newts are being better protected if found on the railway during upgrade work thanks to a newly launched scheme to help them thrive.<\/p>\n

Network Rail has teamed up with the Newt Conservation Partnership to quickly relocate railway residing newts so work to maintain tracks and run trains safely and reliably doesn\u2019t grind to a halt.<\/p>\n

The slippery amphibians love to make their homes around the railway, living in drainage ditches and nearby vegetation, and even hibernating under sleepers.<\/p>\n

Previously when found on the infrastructure, teams have had to down tools and call in specialist ecologists to fully survey the area and apply for special licences to continue before work could resume to ensure the rare newts didn\u2019t come to any harm.<\/p>\n

While the right thing to do, in some cases it could delay projects by weeks or even months, resulting in higher costs for the taxpayer and passengers and freight customers having to wait longer for the benefits those upgrades bring to journeys.<\/p>\n

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