WARWICK Station is ready for lift off.
A pre-made lift shaft will be craned into position on overnight on Saturday (June 7) while the railway is closed and the last train has passed through.
The steel structure was manufactured off-site and delivered to the station last month. It will be lifted over the tracks and lowered into place using a 450 tonne crane.
Network Rail and Chiltern Railways are advising passengers that during the unusual manoeuvre, for safety reasons, the car park will temporarily be closed all of Saturday (June 7) and until midday on Sunday (June 8). Pedestrian access to platforms will not be affected.
Joe Flynn, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “Due to the limited space on platform 2, we’ve had to be creative with how we install this lift shaft. After pre-building the lift shaft off-site, we’re now carefully moving it over the tracks at night when the railway is closed.
“This is a major milestone for the scheme and we thank passengers for their patience while the car park is closed to allow us access.
“We’re sorry for the disruption at the station but we’re really looking forward to getting these lifts installed so that passengers can soon benefit from improved access to trains.”
Network Rail and its contractor have been on-site at Warwick station since spring 2024 to install two new lifts which will help passengers with reduced mobility, families with prams, and those carrying heavy luggage access platforms 1 and 2.
Over the past 12 months, engineers have been working in the subway and station building, excavating land and installing over 50 piles across both platforms in readiness to install the new lifts.
Another key part of the project is work to the station subway. Network Rail plan to reopen the subway from platform 1 side in mid-June. The entrance from platform 2 will then need to be temporarily closed while work is continued that side of the station.
