More than 260 rail transport projects, valued at over £160 million, were delivered across Britain over the Christmas period, allowing thousands of new services and trains to start coming into operation this year, benefitting the 4.5 million passengers who typically use the rail network daily.

Projects delivered over the festive period include the completion of the £1 billion transformation of London Bridge station, which sees 54 million passengers travelling through it each year.

The station re-opened to the public on 2 January — the first time it has been fully open since 2012. SouthEastern services to and from Cannon Street will call at the station again, having not done so since 2016.

Outside of London, signalling equipment over 50 years old was replaced between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, meaning more-reliable journeys for passengers in the West Midlands.

The £246 million project is part of a wider £600 million-plus programme to upgrade signalling across the region; and as part of the Great North Rail Project, work took place in preparation for the opening of the new Platform 8 at Liverpool Lime Street (other platforms were remodelled to allow for longer trains).

Meanwhile, a number of major upgrades were carried out by Network Rail on the Great Eastern main line to Norwich out of London Liverpool Street, and on the lines out of London Paddington in preparation for the arrival of the new Elizabeth-line services.

The Crossrail project is now over 85% complete; it will provide new trains and better stations — plus quicker, easier and more-reliable journeys — when the east-west Elizabeth line opens in December.

Many more projects saw new bridges built, miles of new track installed and ‘state of the art’ signalling equipment brought on-line. More than 32,000 rail workers helped to deliver the successful 10-day investment programme.