Track laying from Bicester to Bletchley passes the halfway point
There was a sense of excitement in Winslow last week as the new track construction (NTC) train reached Winslow's new railway station, which marks the halfway point for track construction on Connection Stage 1 of East West Rail.
The overall stretch for this stage of East West Rail is 66km and, with 50% of track still to be laid in the area, there’ll be more opportunities to catch a glimpse of the NTC train in action down the line.
Moving forward at pace
The NTC train, which is one of only two of its kind in the country, uses a rapid track laying system and works much faster than conventional methods. In fact, it carries enough railway sleepers to install up to 1.1km of track during each 10-hour shift.
To reduce any potential impact these works may have on local communities, the majority of equipment and supporting materials for track construction are delivered to site by rail. This has helped remove around 4,000 lorry journeys from local roads.