Residents look on as New Track Construction train rolls through Winslow

The machine that lays the track for the long-awaited East West Rail line was back in Winslow last Wednesday, February 15, arriving at Winslow Station in the early afternoon, with about 60 members of the public looking on.

Deputy director of the East West Rail Alliance, Jez Baldock, was there to watch the progress of the New Track Construction (NTC) train.

He said: "It was great to see the NTC make its way to Winslow Station, and well done to the Alliance track team for their efforts. Track coming to Winslow has been an exciting topic of conversation for the local community."

A total of 1,138 sleepers and 740 metres of track were installed on Line 1 up to Furze Lane bridge, with Line 2 expected to constructed in the next few months.

To minimise the impact of the works on residents, most of the equipment and supporting materials for East West Rail track construction are delivered to site by rail, avoiding about 4,000 lorry journeys on the local road network, an Alliance spokesperson said.

A small team of operatives were on site last Wednesday and Thursday evenings, ensuring the clips connecting the rail and the railway sleepers were secure on the recently installed track, and that work will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 21 and 22, from 6pm to 11pm.

The sopkesperson added: “These works are expected to be low impact and we will do our best to keep any noise to a minimum. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these works.”