East West and Northumberland rail lines happy with £794m support

Friday, January 29, 2021

East West Rail, that will soon connect Oxford and Cambridge, will get an assistance of £760m to open new parts of the line. The Northumberland Line, that generally carries freight will get £34m for initial work that focussed at reintroducing passenger services. The reopening project will also connect other uninvolved communities, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

He also added that such projects will help in restoring railway communities and encourage investment to connect with the nook and corner of the nation. It will also create new job opportunities and unlock access to education and housing from remote areas. And soon the investment will improve the image of the routes and help then return to glory as government projects gear up.

Green trains

From an interview by BBC it has been studied that Mr Shapps thought diesel engines will initially run on the lines, but he hoped of more environmentally friendly trains, for example powered by hydrogen or new battery technology, would replace them in the future. He also added that chancer are there that these lines might potentially bypass the overhead wire technology altogether. And the project work is being carried out in a unique way to evolve as one of the technologically advanced facilities of the future. They are using latest technology and advanced automation for the building work.

Bletchley connection

The East West Rail investment will rebuild a train line between Bicester and Bletchley which was closed in 1968. The project is being delivered by a publicly-owned body called the East West Company.

There are plans for additional new stations at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, and Northumberland Park, in North Tyneside, and other upgradation to the track and changes to level crossings where new bridges or underpasses were needed, the Department for Transport said.

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