Hull Paragon station will get major track upgrades over Easter, with the aim of providing a more modern and reliable railway for passengers.
The work will take place on Saturday 16, Sunday 17 and Monday 18 April. During this time, Network Rail teams will remove and replace more than 500 yards of rail, sleepers and supporting stones across Platforms 2, 3, 4 and 5.
The project, which costs £1.3 million, is going ahead to deliver smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers in East Yorkshire, as well as cut disruption and the need for maintenance.
While this work takes place, trains will run to an amended timetable and buses will replace trains between Hull and Doncaster, Selby, Goole, Beverley and Brough. Passengers are being asked to check their journey beforehand by visiting National Rail Enquiries or by following #EasterRailWorks on Twitter.
Matt Rice, North & East route director for Network Rail said: “Upgrading the tracks in Hull station will help us to deliver a more reliable railway, which will help passengers get to where they need to be, on time.
“There’s never a good time to close important rail routes, but we do need to invest in our equipment to keep the railway running smoothly. We’ve worked with our train operating partners to make sure that passengers can keep moving throughout the Easter bank holiday.”
Station manager TransPennine Express is asking customers right across its network not to travel on Saturday 16 or Sunday 17 April due to planned strike action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT). Instead, rail travellers are asked to make their journeys either side of the strike dates.
Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express said: “This important upgrade at Hull Paragon along with RMT strike action planned to take place over the Easter weekend will mean changes for those using our services.
“We are strongly advising customers not to travel on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April and instead, travel either side of these days.
“For anyone making an essential journey between Selby and Hull, or for those travelling on Monday 18 April, a rail replacement bus service will be in operation and people should check before and allow extra time to travel as journeys will take longer than usual.”
Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern said: “Improvements to infrastructure are always welcome. Whilst they might cause short term disruption, the long term benefits of modernisation in terms of reliability of service and customer experience are clear. Passengers should check before they travel to avoid inconvenience wherever possible.”
Across the country, Network Rail is carrying out 530 upgrade projects worth £83m to upgrade the railway for passengers this Easter bank holiday weekend.
While the majority of the railway – over 95% – will be unaffected by the engineering work, there will be disruption on some routes, so passengers are urged to plan ahead.
