Major UK train line set for massive £1.5bn upgrade with 30 new stations

A Virgin Cross Country work passes done Dawlish station. (Image: Getty)

A bold and ambitious imaginativeness to physique a caller bid crossing connected the River Severn and upgrade obstruction infrastructure successful South Wales and the westbound of England has been unveiled.

The program was enactment unneurotic by the consortium Western Gateway Partnership, which hopes to alteration obstruction question successful the portion and boost economical activity.

The main summons point is the operation of a caller obstruction crossing of the River Severn, which is estimated to outgo northwards £1.5 billion.

The crossing is an important portion of revolutionising bid question for the portion successful the agelong term.

Bristol extremity of Severn Tunnel. (Image: Getty)

Currently, trains walk nether the stream via the Severn tunnel, which was built astir 140 years agone utilizing picks, shovels, drills, and dynamite.

Some 200 trains walk done the four-and-a-half-mile passageway each time connected a way connecting London, Bristol, and South Wales.

However, railway tracks person to beryllium replaced astir continuously owed to the hugely corrosive saltwater ambiance astir 150ft (50m) beneath oversea level.

More than 20 Olympic pools worthy of h2o is pumped from the Severn Tunnel daily.

The consortium argues that keeping the passageway operational for the adjacent 100 years is unsustainable owed to the precocious attraction costs.

They suggest gathering a caller crossing to heighten capableness connected 1 of the busiest lines successful the UK.

"Achieving [improved travel times and further services] with the existent passageway would necessitate ample concern and perchance origin adjacent greater disruption than simply maintaining existent performance," they wrote successful their connection document.

“Although capableness and operations for the existing passageway are being investigated, the proviso of an further obstruction crossing would heighten the capableness of the network.

“However, this would beryllium a large-scale, nationally important infrastructure task with a timescale beyond our 3 stages.

“Despite this, it is cardinal to instrumentality a proactive attack and statesman processing concern cases for either enhancement of the existing crossing, proviso of a caller one, oregon both.”

Plans besides included the operation of 30 caller stations arsenic good arsenic the electrification of 286 miles of obstruction lines.

Although the full outgo of the proposals could travel to astir £12 billion, the consortium believes the concern volition bring successful £17 cardinal to the portion and the wider UK economy.