Network Rail has unveiled three new grinding trains — costing £36 million — that will be deployed across the UK to keep the track in good condition and give passengers a smooth and reliable journey.

The trains, which remove small layers of metal from the railhead, represent a significant investment for Network Rail route services, which worked with industry partners Loram and Colas Rail to design and build the new units.

The trains, which will replace a number of older ones that are coming to the end of their life, cost £1,000 less per shift to run, are 35% more productive and more reliable; they also offer better facilities for the teams working on them — and are expected to last for the next 30 years.

Leevan Finney, Network Rail (www.networkrail.co.uk) project manager, said: “This has been a fantastic example of different parts of the rail industry working together to deliver new and innovative solutions that ultimately improve the railway for passengers.”

Each 150m-long grinding train cost £12 million and offers a higher rate of metal removal, due to its ability to grind while travelling at 15mph; a top transit speed of 70mph allows it to get around the network quicker, causing fewer delays to passenger and freight services.

The trains are modular, allowing them to be attached together to make a larger train; the modular design also means replacement parts can be provided faster, reducing down-time.

Two of the three machines are already out on track, and the largest one will be in service over the Christmas period.

Meanwhile, Network Rail’s Thameslink Programme has reached another crucial milestone ahead of the New Year, with the completion of all track work around London Bridge.

The infrastructure is now in place around the new station, ready to be brought into use on 2 January, following 10 days of re-signalling work. Since the project began in 2009, Network Rail has renewed and remodelled over 40km of railway that links London Bridge and Blackfriars to Lewisham and strengthened 35 bridges.

The final ‘piece of the puzzle’ was put into place last month, when Network Rail fitted the last of 154 sets of points to be installed; Vossloh Cogifer UK supplied 149 of these.