East Coast rail upgrade set for at least a year’s delay
One of the biggest upgrades to the UK rail network in recent years will be delayed for at least a year due to the emergence of a number of issues.
The £1.2bn East Coast upgrade, which will add nearly 40 services a day to the London-Edinburgh network, is due to open in May 2022.
But Network Rail has written to the Department for Transport (DfT) urging it not to go ahead with the scheduled timetable changes.
Instead, it has recommended the changes be delayed until May 2023 “or beyond” over fears of a repeat of the debacle that occurred when a new rail timetable was introduced in May 2018.
In a statement, the body later confirmed the delay. Paul Rutter, route director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This new timetable aims to deliver significant improvements and is too important to take any chances on its smooth introduction.
“There are a number of issues still to be resolved, along with feedback provided during the consultation process to review.
“With the deadline looming to lock-down the new timetable for next year, the industry has taken the difficult, but sensible decision that it now won’t be introduced in May 2022.”
In an email reported by magazine Modern Railways, Chris Curtis, Network Rail’s industry timetable change assurance director warned ministers of five problems with the upgrade.
These include connecting the line to its power supply and continuing issues with cracks in Hitachi’s trains.
Earlier this summer hundreds of Hitachi trains were taken out of service after cracks were discovered during routine safety checks, leading to days of cancelled rail services.
LNER, which runs the majority of services on the line, said that the timetable revision was “central to its plans” to realise the benefits of the upgrade.
The route is one of the UK’s busiest, carrying over 20m passengers a year. When the upgrade is complete the journey from London to Edinburgh will take less than four hours.
Work on the upgrade has been underway since 2019 and has seen parts of King’s Cross Station forced to close at the weekends over the years.
CityAM has contacted the DfT for comment.