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Monday 23 Mar 2015

Stunning time-lapse film shows the lifting into place of new Corsham footbridge

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Network Rail’s ‘orange army’ replaced a footbridge in Corsham last weekend by using a 500 tonne crane to lift the new bridge over a block of flats and into position. This stunning time-lapse photography shows this unusual approach and illustrates the scale of the project.

The replacement of this footbridge between The Cleeve and Pound Mead is an essential part of Network Rail’s Great Western Electrification Programme. The new bridge is higher, creating the additional space needed for the overhead wires that will power a new fleet of electric trains to run underneath. These trains are longer, faster, quieter and greener, benefitting passengers and those who live close to the railway line.

To minimise disruption for residents and any risk of the work overrunning, the project team and their contractor, Hochtief, built the new bridge off site, negating the need for a longer road closure that would have been required if the bridge was reconstructed on site.

The new footbridge was then transported by road and with the use of a 500 tonne crane lifted up ten metres, over a block of flats, and into position in the early hours of Sunday 22 March.

Work is now taking place to divert utility services and tie in the existing road so the new footbridge can open in June.

Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s west of England project director, said: “Where we can we will always choose methods of working that minimise disruption for local communities, and I would like to thank residents for their continued patience as we complete our work on this footbridge in preparation for electrification and the arrival of the new fleet of electric trains.”

ENDS

About the Great Western Electrification Programme

Electrification will transform the railway between London and Oxford, Newbury, Bristol and Cardiff to deliver a faster, greener, quieter and more reliable railway for passengers, with extra capacity. Electrifying this part of the Great Western route will enhance 235 miles of one of Britain’s busiest and oldest railways, better connecting major towns and cities across southern England and South Wales. This investment, as well as the introduction of a fleet of new trains, will improve journey times and make services more comfortable, smoother, cleaner and quieter for passengers and people living near the railway.