Network Rail has said the four-year scheme to upgrade signalling infrastructure on the Great Western main line could ‘help cut delays by 50%’.
The £400m improvement will ‘significantly benefit’ services travelling through Bristol, Bath, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot, Reading, Newbury and Oxford.
Network Rail said around 25,000 minutes of delays on average each year on the Great Western main line are potentially caused by problems with aging signalling equipment.
The major upgrade will also support the 10-year plan to expand services on the Great Western main line, catering to the 51% forecast increase in rail demand by the end of the decade.
In addition, the improvement work is also vital to prepare the signalling infrastructure, so that it is compatible with an electrified railway.
The improvement will be carried out in five stages, starting from the Didcot area, to minimise disruption. Invensys has recently been appointed as the main contractor to deliver the work in the Didcot area.
The biggest programme of work will be carried out in the Bristol area, which is forecast to experience the highest number of passenger growth of 44% in the next decade.
The signalling upgrade forms part of a wider ten-year, £5bn plan to transform the Great Western main line.
The transformation programme comprises of several core packages of work, including electrification, between London and Bristol.
