Weekend trains cancelled while tracks are replaced
There will be no weekend rail services between Birmingham, Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury over the next month, so that tracks can be replaced.
Maintenance work in the Wolverhampton area will begin on Saturday, continuing through to Sunday. Work will then resume every weekend until March 17.
All trains between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury will be replaced by bus services over the weekends that the work is carried out.
The work includes essential maintenance to the track foundation stone – or ballast – in the Oxley area of the city.
Special trains called ‘tamping machines’ will pass over sections of track to vibrate the stones to pack them tightly together. This provides a firm foundation for the railway track and sleepers to sit on.
Steven Ireland, head of customer service at Network Rail, said: “Over the next four weekends we’re asking passengers travelling between Birmingham and Shrewsbury to check before they travel while our engineers complete vital upgrades to the railway help make journeys more reliable.
"I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we deliver this important work and urge people to plan ahead at nationalrail.co.uk”
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director at West Midlands Railway, said: “These engineering works are crucial for the upkeep of the railway.
"We will be operating a rail replacement service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton on four separate weekends and I urge passengers to plan ahead of travelling."
Dave Whitehouse, safety director at Avanti West Coast urged anyone travelling on the weekends in question to check before they travel.
the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/track/
