Network Rail criticised for ‘wasting millions’ on Newark crossing upgrade

Work on the crossing outside Newark needs to take place at least every 20 years

A leading railway commentator has criticised Network Rail for “wasting millions” on a key intersection on the East Coast main line.

Over the bank holiday weekend, the government-owned infrastructure provider spent £4m upgrading a crossing in Nottinghamshire. Very unusually, this is an intersection where a 125mph line is crossed by a regional line.

Just outside Newark, the East Coast main line from London to Yorkshire, the northeast and Scotland meets the line connecting Nottingham with Lincoln. It was in need of upgrading, and the work was completed on Monday.

But Christian Wolmar, the leading rail writer, has criticised the decision to spend money on a design that is outdated.

“There are very few crossings like that anywhere,” he told The Independent.

“It’s just an old-fashioned way of joining railways from the 19th century which isn’t appropriate in the 21st century.

“To have one on the East Coast main line in 2019 seems absolutely ludicrous and short-sighted.

“How much would an overpass cost? It would greatly increase the capacity of the East Coast main line.”

At present the main line is shared by LNER, Grand Central and Hull Trains.

Nigel Harris, managing editor of Rail magazine, said: “There are significant challenges there regarding approach slopes, proximity of other infrastructure, not to mention the Trent!

“This is still much cheaper than a flyover by a significant order of magnitude.”

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The crossing, which is of unique design, has had to be renewed every 15-20 years.

“Last weekend, engineers replaced timbers with a more durable material, which will provide a more reliable railway and greatly reduce the amount of times we need to carry out work in the future, which will also reduce maintenance costs.”

But Network Rail acknowledged the flat crossing “is a known constraint on the East Coast Main Line”.

The organisation indicated it would be happy to look at the prospects for an overpass.