Shropshire Star

Work starts on Shrewsbury to Wrexham rail line upgrade

Work has begun on the £10.5 million upgrade of railway tracks between Shrewsbury and Wrexham.

Published

Network Rail Wales said that the nine-day line closure of a section of the track between Wrexham and the county town was necessary to "modernise" and speed up train journeys between Wales and the border counties.

The 10-mile stretch between Shrewsbury Railway Station and Wrexham General is also being realigned to give passengers a quieter ride.

The stretch of line should be reopened by September 6 and all of the work is expected to be completed by the end of September. As part of the work, the 165-year-old grade II listed Cefn Mawr viaduct is being overhauled.

Route managing director Mark Langman said: "This latest investment in the future of the railways across Wales and the border counties of England forms a key part of our modernisation plans to bring the railway across the region into the 21st century.

"It follows recent works to upgrade the railway and station facilities across the area, such as Castle Foregate bridge and the River Severn viaduct refurbishments in Shrewsbury.

"The next steps in the modernisation programme include our plans to modernise the signalling and control systems between Newport and Shrewsbury and from Flint to Llandudno, starting in 2015," added Mr Langman.

"All of these investments will deliver a real improvement to passengers with the potential for quicker and more frequent journeys on a network that is more resilient and reliable. In addition, a robust railway will also help drive economic growth across the country."

Replacement buses have been put on for passengers while the work is being carried out.

And commuters are urged by Arriva Trains Wales to allow extra time for journeys while the modernisation work is carried out.

Lynne Milligan, customer services director at Arriva, said: "We apologise in advance for any inconvenience that may result from these unavoidable changes due to the work."