Cattal family disconnected from relatives due to station works

A family in Cattal says they are struggling to contact elderly relatives because their phone line has been disconnected for almost two weeks following works at Cattal railway station.

Network Rail recently completed a £9.8m upgrade of the Knaresborough to Poppleton route which includes changes to the track layout at Cattal station.

However, it is suspected a BT telephone line that runs underneath the station has been damaged due to the works, affecting households living nearby.

Val and Keith Welton live near Cattal Station and said their line has been disconnected since December 6.

Keith said the mobile signal in the house is not good enough to hold long conversations and Val has struggled to keep in contact with her mum, who is 80.

He said:

“We don’t know when the line will be back. From our point of view, we have a massive inconvenience.

“My wife likes to keep in touch with her 80 year old mother-in-law everyday and it’s problematic. We have kids and grandchildren too.  One doesn’t know what’s going to happen during covid.”

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Network Rail confirmed it is aware of the issue and is looking into it.

A spokesperson said:

“Our teams have completed a major project to upgrade the signalling system on the line between Knaresborough and Poppleton.

“Network Rail is aware of the issues that a resident near Cattal station is having with their phone line. We are investigating the cause of the problem and looking to help resolve it as soon as possible.”

£9.8m upgrade of Knaresborough to Poppleton rail route complete

Network Rail has completed a £9.8m upgrade of the Knaresborough to Poppleton route, which could increase the number of trains between Harrogate and York.

The works have improved the signalling system and changed the track layout at Cattal station, which will allow two trains to enter the station at the same time.

Work has also taken place to install new safety measures at some level crossings on the route.

£9.6m was secured by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership from the government’s Local Growth Fund.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, who is a former rail minister, called the works a “huge step forward” for trains in the district.

“The importance of this is that it removes a bottleneck to future increases in capacity on the line. This means that the ability to increase services to and from York now exists whereas previously the infrastructure constrained that. It is another huge step forward for our local rail line.

“In recent years we’ve seen more services and faster services on the York-Harrogate-Leeds line. We have seen signalling upgrades and the new Azuma services to and from London coming to Harrogate.  We have also seen the back of the old, leaky pacer trains.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said the project would enable “an increased, quicker and more reliable service in the future”. He added:

“The line now benefits from more modern technology and Network Rail have increased safety at a number of level crossings and reduced congestion at Harrogate railway station.”

Three weekends of disruption to improve Harrogate rail services

Three weekends of rail disruption in and around Harrogate will begin this weekend.

The disruption is due to a £9.8 million project that will enable trains to run more frequently between Leeds and York.

North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership is funding the upgrades, with Network Rail carrying out the work.

Network Rail will begin by installing equipment at Harrogate’s train station this weekend that enables trains to change track.

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Weekends of disruption

North Yorkshire county councillor Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access, said:

““When complete, it will significantly enhance the rail infrastructure in the north. The capacity of services as well as their frequency will be increased, making it much more convenient and reliable for passengers using this line.”