Next steps to upgrade the line

Now that the Department for Transport has approved the funding to reopen the line, Network Rail engineers will start upgrade work immediately and over the next few months will lay 11 miles of new rail, replace 24,000 sleepers and install over 29,000 tonnes of ballast before running test trains on the track ahead of fully reopening the railway to passengers later this year.

Concrete sleepers continue to be delivered to site (pictured above).

900 tonnes of ballast (stone) has now been delivered to site and will be stored along the railway line to be used as needed when the line is upgraded:

There will also be work to upgrade several level crossings as well as installing new GSM-R masts. These masts are the railway’s mobile communications system that enables train drivers to securely communicate with signallers who operate the signals and points on rail tracks to keep trains running safely and on time.

Here is an example of what a GSM-R mast looks like: