Level crossings and tracks near Stafford get facelift in West Coast project costing almost £13m
Improvement work has been completed on two railway crossings near Stafford as part of a major project costing almost £13 million.
The level crossings at Church Lane in Meaford and at Aston-by-Stone both near Stone were upgraded as a part of the scheme which included the replacement of tracks at Stone Railway Station. Network Rail which is responsible for railway infrastructure said 22 track panels were replaced, 2,500 tonnes of ballast refreshed, and over 50 new rails installed as part of the programme. At Hixon 820ft of tracks were replaced.
The projects to renew tracks, points, bridges and viaducts were carried out between August 2 and 22 August with trains running on the line again on August 23. The work took place during a rare 21-day closure of a 50-mile stretch of the route from Stone through Stoke-on-Trent to Stockport.
With no train traffic on the tracks, hundreds of railway workers were able to complete the essential infrastructure upgrades including refurbishment of the River Trent Viaduct comprising structural and waterproofing improvements, installing new concrete slabs and upgrading drainage systems.
Steve Hopkinson, Network Rail’s West Coast South route operations director, said: “I would like to thank passengers and local people for their patience while we carried out this major programme of investment in Staffordshire. Our upgrades will help to future proof this important rail corridor, improve safety and help us to deliver better journeys.”
The effort included ongoing improvements to staircases, concrete, and drainage at Longport Railway Station footbridge and track replacement at Trentham.
