The Rail Electrification Alliance, comprised of VolkerRail, J Murphy & Sons, Jacobs, Systra, Siemens Mobility and Network Rail, has signed a £216m deal to upgrade the power capabilities from Doncaster to Edinburgh.

The power supply upgrade project, which has been five years in the making, is part the wider £1.2bn East Coast Upgrade programme.

Once complete, the upgrade will deliver improved reliability and punctuality for passengers, and will ensure the route has the electrical power capacity to deal with future passenger volumes.

Whilst the power infrastructure at the southern section of the route was upgraded in the last few years, similar work is now needed at the northern section, which this project will provide.

A spokesperson for the Rail Electrification Alliance Board said: “The power supply upgrade of the East Coast Main Line is a significant piece of work.

“We have been working together as an Alliance for the past five years and the team delivering the project have gone from strength to strength, continuing not only physical works during COVID-19 but also delivering a contract proposal which will secure the project for the next four years and deliver the power upgrades needed for the full route from London to Edinburgh.”