RAILWAY engineers are planning major track renewal projects at York Railway Station and on the East Coast mainline between Skelton and Beningbrough over Christmas.
The railway bridge over the A162 London Road at Barkston Ash near Selby is also to be replaced – and track will also be renewed at Holgate and Colton on the Transpennine route between York and Leeds.
But Network Rail engineers say that, unlike last year – when passengers faced massive disruption because of because of a huge, £6 million programme of track renewal in and around York railway station which lasted from Christmas Eve right through to January - passengers should not be affected this year.
That’s because this year’s engineering works in and around York are all scheduled to take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when no trains run anyway.
A Network Rail spokesperson said that – barring overruns, which were ‘very unlikely’ - all the works would be carried out between the last trains leaving on Christmas Eve and the first trains setting off on December 27.
York passengers who are hoping to head off to London and the south for Christmas at the last minute may be affected by works further down the East Coast mainline all day on Christmas Eve, however.
Because of upgrade work as part of the billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), LNER will not be running a direct service to London Kings Cross on Christmas Eve.
Instead, the operator will run a reduced service terminating at St Neots or Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between St Neots and Bedford, where customers can then join EMR or Thameslink services to London St Pancras.
LNER services will also finish earlier than usual ahead of the Christmas holiday.
York passengers thinking of travelling to London or the south on Christmas Eve itself are, therefore, being urged to plan ahead and check before travelling.
A spokesperson for rail operators including LNER, Grand Central and Hull Trains, who will all be affected on Christmas Eve, said: “Our teams will be working incredibly hard to keep passengers on the move and to make sure they reach their intended destination as quickly as possible while these upgrades are carried out.
“The latest travel information can be found on our websites and through our social media channels and we recommend passengers check before they travel.”
The work at York Railway Station on Christmas Day and Boxing Day will involve renewing track, switches and crossings, and installing overhead line equipment.
Between Skelton and Beningbrough, engineers will renew track itself and also ballast – the stones which rails sit on.
At Barkston Ash, meanwhile, the railway bridge over the A162 London Road will be replaced, to allow faster and more frequent electric trains on the line in the future. A clearly signposted diversion will be in place for road users.
The Network Rail spokesperson said hundreds of railway engineers and maintenance workers would be giving up time with their families over Christmas to carry out the work when no trains were running, so as to minimise disruption.
The work would ‘boost reliability and improve services for passenger’, the spokesperson said.
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