Modern Railways – April 2019

52 Modern Railways April 2019 http://www.modern-railways.com

Arrival of Azumas is a prominent landmark, LNER Managing

Director DAVID HORNE tells JAMES ABBOTT

B

y the time this magazine hits the bookstalls,

LNER is expected to have accepted nine

Azumas, the Hitachi-built bi-mode trains

that will replace existing inter-city stock on the

East Coast main line. The first set is due to enter

service soon afterwards on diagram NL65, the

07.00 off Hull that runs to London and then fits

in a return run to Leeds before returning to Hull;

this has lately been the province of the HST set

that LNER has hired in from East Midlands Trains.

In tandem with the replacement of the train

fleet, Network Rail is progressing a series of

upgrades of the East Coast line that will markedly

improve the capacity of the route. First up will

be the well-publicised grade separation of

Werrington Junction, north of Peterborough,

where the ‘Joint’ line through Lincoln joins the

East Coast. Earth movers are now hard at work

on both sides of the main line preparing the

ground, with the new dive-under due to be

complete by the end of next year. Entry into

service is planned for March 2021, facilitating the

diversion of freights through Lincoln and freeing

up space on the main line for passenger services.

‘This will be the third grade separation on the route

this century, following the flyovers at Hitchin and

Shaftholme (north of Doncaster), and demonstrates

that the decades-old East Coast philosophy

of progressive improvement is alive and well’

comments David Horne, LNER Managing Director.

KING’S CROSS REMODELLING

Biggest project on the route will be the remodelling

of the London terminus. This will include bringing

back into service the easternmost bore of

Gasworks Tunnel, which has lain unused for many

decades, giving extra capacity in the throat and

allowing full advantage to be taken of the Azumas’

acceleration capabilities. The extra two tracks will

slip into the existing main lines just beyond the

northern portal of Gasworks Tunnel; construction

of a flyover for suburban services at the north

end of the next tunnel on the exit from King’s

Cross (Copenhagen Tunnel) in the last century

obstructs the exit from that tunnel and prevents

the extra lines from extending further north.

The first major possession for the King’s

Cross work is set to take place on the weekend

of 13-14 July 2019, when the East sidings

(where the ‘Thunderbird’ locos are currently

kept) will be disconnected in preparation for

laying the new tracks into Gasworks Tunnel.

Next up will be a possession over the 2019

August bank holiday, when the East Coast

main line will be closed south of Peterborough

and panels 3-5 in King’s Cross power signal

box (covering Wood Green to Sandy) are

recontrolled to York Rail Operating Centre.

Advantage will be taken of that possession, when

a reduced train service will be diverted via the

LNER modernisation

GATHERS PACE

New fleet coming: No 800107 pauses at Grantham

while on a driver training run from Peterborough

to Retford on 26 February 2019. Paul Clark

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