East West Rail tracklaying machine set to return to Winslow tomorrow

The machine that lays the track for the long-awaited East West Rail line will be back in Winslow tomorrow, Wednesday, February 15.

The New Track Construction (NTC) train is due to arrive in Winslow at about 7am, starting from where it left off on its previous visit in January, working its way along the line during the day, until about 6pm, when it will return to its depot in Crewe.

An East West Rail Alliance spokesman said: “Due to the complexity of the work and external dependencies including the weather, it is difficult to forecast exact timings of some of our construction activities.

“With the use of the NTC and other equipment, we will be continuing to install track through the Winslow area, starting from behind Comerford Way and on to Furze Lane and continuing on towards Verney Road.”

The spokesman added there will also be a small team of operatives carrying out low-level activities on the track outside of normal working hours.

The team will be on site with a machine, ensuring the clips connecting the rail and the railway sleepers are secure on the recently installed track. These activities will take place this week from 6pm to 11pm on Wednesday and Thursday, February 15 and 16, and next week from 6pm to 11pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 21 and 22.

The spokesperson 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.”