Biggest rail upgrade in Cornwall since 1950s now complete

The upgrade work to the St Ives train line has now been completed

8 February 2021

By Olivier Vergnault

The biggest investment in Cornwall’s rail network since the 1950s is complete.

Network Rail has just put the finishing touches to a five-week £3 million track upgrade on the branch line to St Ives, Cornwall.

The work saw 1.5 miles of new track put down and the installation of 3,600 new sleepers and over 400 tonnes of new ballast - which is the stones that supports the track.

Lee Hildreth, Network Rail project manager, said: “Work on the St Ives bay line which marks the biggest track upgrade in the county for over 60 years.

“Despite a number of challenges, particularly the severe weather Cornwall has faced over the past month, it is really pleasing to have finished this important work which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the local community by helping to provide a more reliable railway for passengers in Cornwall.”

The St Ives and Carbis Bay line is a busy with more than 660,000 journeys made in 2019.

The work to upgrade the St Ives - Carbis Line in West Cornwall is now complete (Image: Network Rail)

Mark Chorley, GWR Regional Station Manager, West, added: “We are pleased to resume train services on the St Ives Bay line today after a five-week period of upgrades. The work will help to keep our services on the branch line running reliably and provide a smoother ride for our customers.

“While Network Rail upgraded the line, we continued to keep our customers moving, but with a longer, road journey. We thank them for their patience during this time and look forward to welcoming them back on-board our trains.”

The train operator has been providing rail services throughout the pandemic and has worked to ensure these are as safe as possible.

This includes increased cleaning regimes and the use of a virucidal spray; extra staff at key stations to offer help and guidance; and processes in place to help customers maintain a safe distance where possible, such as restricting the number of reservations available.

 

Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives, said: “I have the great honour of welcoming the G7 summit later this year and the focus will be recovering from Covid and how we can deliver a low carbon green economy.

“That is why the investment in the St Ives Bay line is so welcome and so important because all of us will be thinking about reducing journeys on road and how we can use the railway more.”