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Wednesday 18 Feb 2015

An improved Foxhall Road bridge in Didcot is reopened

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Foxhall Road bridge in Didcot reopened yesterday, Tuesday 17 February, after work to prepare it for the electrification of the railway was completed along with improvement work to make the bridge more accessible and safer for its users.

The reconstruction of the bridge is an essential part of Network Rail’s electrification programme and will enable a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains to serve commuters in Oxfordshire travelling on the route between Cardiff and London Paddington.

In addition to raising the height of the bridge to accommodate the new overhead electrification lines, work was undertaken to make improvements to the structure. These consisted of installing a second lane for road vehicles, improving access to the station and its car park; and moving the footpath for pedestrians to the other side of the bridge, making it safer for them to access the station area without having to cross the road.

Jim Weeden, Network Rail’s project director, said: “I would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we carried out this work and in particular, Mr Birch and his employees, whose business is located very near to the bridge.

“Now the bridge is open, people and businesses in the area are a step closer to seeing the benefits that electrification and the new electric trains will bring.”

County councillor David Nimmo Smith, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The reopening of the bridge is good news for a number of reasons.

“Obviously it is another step forward for Network Rail in their massive electrification programme, and for people using the roads the reopening will be welcome as the county council’s improvement scheme at Milton gathers pace.”