Media centre

Thursday 22 Sep 2016

Barrow upon Soar bridge to reopen in early 2017

Region & Route:

| Eastern

Network Rail has confirmed that a bridge which partially collapsed over the Midland Main Line in Leicestershire will reopen early next year.

Grove Lane bridge, which crosses four rail lines in Barrow upon Soar, suffered damage on 1 August.

Although the railway reopened to passenger trains the following day, and the bridge reopened to pedestrians three weeks later, the long-term repairs to reopen the bridge to motorists have been carefully considered to minimise the disruption to both rail passengers and nearby residents.

Now Network Rail can confirm plans have been drawn up to not only repair the bridge but also raise the parapets slightly to make it safe to carry the electrical wires that will form part of the Midland Main Line route upgrade, with the bridge to reopen fully in January 2017. The parapet adjustments will mean no further disruption will be necessary in years to come.

Plans to raise the parapets are currently being discussed with Leicestershire County Council.

Gary Walsh, area director for Network Rail said: “The plans we have put forward for Grove Lane not only make it safe for vehicles but also future-proof the bridge for electrification which is part of our Railway Upgrade Plan for Leicestershire. Doing this work now means we won’t need to come back in the future and create further disruption. We’ll continue to speak regularly and openly with residents about any noise and night time work that is likely, as well as to passengers about any changes to train times.”

A public drop-in event will take place at the Scout Hut on Thursday, 22 September between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, when members of Network Rail project team will be on hand to discuss the plans with residents.

Members of the public with an enquiry about the bridge repairs should contact Network Rail’s national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

Notes to editors

• So far we have removed around 200 tonnes of debris, installed tie-bars and plates through the bridge and sprayed the surface with concrete to stabilise it. Work is now needed to complete the long-term fix; including work on the railway embankment, restoring the brick parapet wall, allowing the water and gas mains which run through the bridge to be reconnected and resurfacing the road so that it can be reopened to traffic.
• Grove Nook Lane will remain closed to road vehicles until the road surface and parapet walls are reinstated. The pedestrian walkway will have to be closed for short periods to protect safety when we are carrying out parapet work. These dates and times will be advertised on site.
• The first two weekends of the work will be 1/2 October and 8/9 October. The nature of this work means we have to carry it our overnight when trains are not running in order to keep everyone safe.