Four Tracking Broad Green to Huyton

September's Modern Railways reports that the funding of the Northern Hub project announced by the Government in July will provide improvements for the Chat Moss route including four tracking between Broad Green and Huyton, with Roby and Huyton stations having four platforms.

Network Rail's web site suggests construction starts in Spring 2014.

Resignalling at Prescot

Prescot signal box is scheduled to be abolished from Monday 24 September 2012. The area - I think there are currently eight signals - will be controlled from St Helens by Track Circuit Block using axle counters.

Summer Timetable

As the engineering works get going, reductions in late evening trains from Liverpool are a feature of the new timetable. For example, the last train to Huyton on Mondays to Thursdays will be 21.42. Traditionally this was 23.16, and it was 23.02 in the last timetable. Buses replace the lost trains. On Fridays and Saturdays, the trains run as usual.

The posters at Lime Street seem to say these reductions are until September, while the National Rail Timetable valid until 8th December shows them throughout. Your guess is as good as mine!

The similar reductions in trains from Manchester Victoria to Liverpool introduced in the December 2011 timetable remain in force.

On the plus side, there are no weekend blockades shown.

Scotland Trains Ordered

Angel Trains and the DfT have today announced that contracts worth £145 million have been signed for new Class 350 trains, ten of which will go to TransPennine Express for Manchester to Edinburgh and Glasgow services.

Let's hope I don't have to reverse the story again.

Scotland Trains NOT Ordered?

Contrary to my report of 3rd February, Siemens and the DfT have apparently both denied the existence of any signed order. So despite getting my news from an "informed source", it appears I may have been premature.