DC BLOCKADE UPDATE

Over the past 17 days, several upgrades have occurred on the DC line between Euston and Watford and will continue until the end of August; this has resulted in closing sections of the line for the duration of the project, impacting journeys over the school holidays. Without the intervention of the five-week closure, this could've taken years of midweek overnight and weekend shifts to complete. 

But what are the reasons behind these works? And find out how the project is progressing so far.

The DC line has suffered for many years due to a lack of investment and difficulty matching maintenance resources and workload to access the route.

Many of the assets on the route are in long-term decline and becoming increasingly unreliable and unmaintainable, especially in cases such as 11Kv power cables, drainage, and stations, to name a few. 

The improvements over the summer include:  

  • Installing 18,000 modern concrete sleepers in place of wooden ones dating back to the 1950s  
  • Upgrading 1km of railway drainage between Harlesden and Stonebridge Park to prevent future flooding
  • Replacing 48km of cabling for signals – traffic lights for trains  
  • Improvements to six stations, including Watford High Street   
  • Station makeovers will consist of platform resurfacing and roof canopy maintenance 
  • Upgrading the power supply for Underground and Overground trains.

To feasibly deliver the scale of work required, upgrades began on Sunday 23 July, and are set to complete on Friday 25 August. 

Jon Bradley, head of performance delivery, commented, "Network Rail continues to make excellent progress in the significant works undertaken on our 'DC' route between London Euston and Watford Junction.  

"A key element of the improvements involves removing over 18,000 wooden sleepers, dating back to the 1950s, with new concrete replacements. It will bring immediate performance benefits, particularly during warmer weather, where we have previously seen issues caused by smoldering, which impacts both London Overground and London Underground services. One kilometre of drainage will also be replaced between Harlesden and Stonebridge Park, a historic flooding location; 48 kilometres of signalling cables will also be renewed, bringing further operational resilience. Power supplies are being upgraded, stations are receiving treatment, and platforms and roof canopy maintenance to create a better ambience and customer experience.  

"Once complete, we will look forward to welcoming back customers, and although closures can cause inconvenience, undertaking these projects during the lower footfall summer months saves years of night and weekend closures." 

Click here to view a video that brings to life more about the work that went into renewing the Willesden area on the DC.

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