Main line to close for months

Massive delays will hit the journeys of thousands of train passengers travelling from London to Scotland, it was revealed today.

A 40-mile-stretch of the West Coast Main Line will be closed for four months next summer to quicken the line's upgrading.

The stretch to be closed is around the Stoke-on-Trent area and passengers will be forced to take long diversions or switch to buses. Delays will run into hours.

Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) says closing the line will be better in the long run for passengerswho would otherwise have to suffer periodic closures "for years" if the work was staggered.

Weekend closures, perhaps lasting to near Christmas, are currently taking place. Labour MPs, however, attending their annual conference in Blackpool don't have to worry. The line is being specially opened to get them there on time.

The SRA calculates that closing the section of the line for concentrated-work will also cut costs of the West Coast upgrade by about £4billion.

John Armitt, Railtrack chief executive, said: "Building the West Coast Main Line has proved a monumental task in terms of keeping the route open and upgrading it at the same time.

"However, we have to accept that four-hour slots at night and total weekend closures and odd Bank Holidays were not allowing the work to be done efficiently or quickly."

The fiasco over the line has meant that plans by Virgin Trains to run 140mph tilting trains have had to be delayed - there are even fears the services may never run at full capacity.

When the new Pendolino trains start running next year between London and Manchester they will be restricted to 110mph.

Meanwhile, a campaign aimed at cutting the worst overcrowding on London's "cattle-truck" routes was launched today by rail chiefs.

Commuter train operators and Railtrack are being ordered to find ways to change timetables, run more carriages and increase the length of platforms to ease conditions on busy routes.

Government forecasts are for passenger numbers to increase by 50 per cent over the next decade, but there is no more room for new tracks to serve London, which already has the most crowded routes in the UK.

Instead operators are being told by Mr Bowker that new ways must be found to ease the plight of commuters, many of whom have to stand often from destinations as far away at Brighton.

Mr Bowker will launch a " consultation" programme in which the companies and all other industry stakeholders will be told to make "best use" of existing facilities. Particular attention will be directed at making train companies run the correct number of carriages.

Mr Bower will stress that reliability must also be improved.

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