Major upgrades to railway at Doncaster to deliver more reliable journey for passengers

On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November, engineers will be working at sites in Heck, near Selby, and Copmanthorpe, near York relaying close to two miles of track and making improvements to overhead electric wires and signalling equipment. This work will help to deliver more reliable and smoother journeys.

At Copmanthorpe, engineers will work throughout the weekend to replace 1.2 miles of track. At the same time, overhead electric wires will be renewed as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade.

Network Rail teams will also be installing new rails and sleepers in three locations at Heck which will improve reliability and deliver a better ride quality for passengers as they travel by train.

The engineering work means that there will be some changes to trains passing through the areas, with LNER, CrossCountry, Lumo, Hull Trains, Grand Central, and TransPennine Express services affected.

Some trains will divert using other lines but passengers are being encouraged to check their journey before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or their train operator.

During the weekend, engineers will also be working to renew Moss Level Crossing near Doncaster, including replacing the deck of the level crossing and painting new road markings.

Paul Rutter, Route Director on Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This work will deliver vital upgrades to the rail network in Yorkshire which will improve passengers’ journeys as they travel by train by delivering a more reliable and resilient railway.

“We know that this work will cause disruption to passengers’ journeys and we are sorry for the inconvenience that will be caused. However, completing important work like this in multiple locations at the same time allows us to keep disruption to a minimum for our passengers and we want to thank them for their patience and understanding while our engineers are on site.

“We’re asking passengers to check the journeys via National Rail Enquiries or their train operator before they travel.”

A spokesperson on behalf of train operators said:

“We are working closely with Network Rail as they carry out this vital set of improvements to the East Coast Main Line.

“Our teams will be working incredibly hard throughout the weekend to keep passengers safely on the move and get them to their destination.

Some trains will be diverted around the closures which will lead to extended journey times and some stations not being served.

“We’re encouraging all passengers to check before travelling on this weekend.”