Massive pre-built tunnel is first for UK rail

Built on-site over the past nine months, the 155m concrete box will be slid under existing rail infrastructure at Werrington, north of Peterborough, where the East Coast Main Line is crossed by a slow-moving east-west freight route. The tunnel will take slower freight trains off the fast route, speeding up services and improving reliability. Work will take place over nine days between 16 and 24 January, avoiding more than a month of passenger disruption if traditional tunnelling methods had been used.

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“This is a massive engineering challenge, but it will avoid hundreds of hours of closure on one of the most important lines in the country,” said Paul Rutter, route director for Network Rail’s East Coast Line.

“This is industry leading work that really puts the needs of passengers first in how we approach improvement work. In the past, Network Rail might have approached this problem by thinking about the easiest way to do the engineering. Instead, I’m proud to say we have come up with a creative and innovative solution that will deliver massive benefits while keeping disruption to a minimum.”