The 866 directly employed staff on the job have tucked-away 25,000 bacon rolls during the last year.

The butties have helped the team work 2.1 million hours, completing 44% of the work on the 30mile long route.

Workers have also:

• Moved 804,000 tonnes of earth
• Used 400 tonnes of grouting as part of mining remediation work
• Installed 25.6 km of drainage works
• Worked on 104 bridges including 12 footbridges, 39 overbridges and 53 underbridges
• Installed 22,800 m³ of gabion baskets to support embankments and cuttings

Hugh Wark, project director, Network Rail said: “We have achieved a lot over the past year and, one year on, it’s good to take stock of how far we’ve come in such a short time.

“The entire team has done a fantastic job in getting to this stage, but our focus continues to be on the key milestones that will see this railway built by summer 2015.

“By the end of this summer, the bulk of the structures and earthworks will be complete, and we’ll be looking forward to laying the railway track along the route.”

Nissar Mohammed, project director, BAM said: “We have already overcome some of the biggest challenges on this project and would like to thank everyone who, between them, have spent over two million hours getting to this point.

“In particular, we appreciate the patience and cooperation of local residents and road users.”