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Tuesday 12 Sep 2017

Bristol moves a step closer to a better railway following Stapleton Road viaduct removal

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Following the successful removal of the Stapleton Road viaduct in Bristol, the site is now being prepared for the installation of a new bridge next year. This will enable more train services and a more reliable railway for passengers as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The replacement of the Victorian viaduct is a crucial part of Network Rail’s Filton Bank Four Tracking project, which is an expansion of the track between Dr Days Junction and Filton Abbey Wood station.

The removal of the viaduct was completed successfully ahead of schedule and was documented with time-lapse and drone footage:

The new bridge is a key component to allow for the doubling of railway lines through the area, enabling an increase in train services to meet expected growth in passenger numbers. It is also required to allow the delivery of a new post-2018 timetable and will enable an increase in freight services.

This upgrade work will also help reduce disruption to rail services caused by maintenance, with four lines operational rather than two.

Network Rail will now carry out works to get ready for the installation of the new viaduct next summer, including sheet piling work at Fox Park, from mid-October into December.

Sheet piling consists of inserting metal sheets into the ground vertically as a protective measure for buried services e.g. cables.

Working hours will mostly be Monday to Friday during daytime hours only. Local residents and businesses will be informed in advance of any works outside of these hours, and of any future road closures that may be required to allow this work to take place.

A public drop-in event for residents to bring their questions or concerns about this work to the project team will be held next month at a date and location to be confirmed.

Chloe Allen, project manager for Network Rail, said: “The replacement of the viaduct is vital as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a better rail service for passengers travelling through Bristol.

“Now that the viaduct has been successfully removed, we are turning our attention to preparing the site for the installation of the new bridge next year, which will enable us to deliver the benefits of the Filton Four-Tracking scheme to passengers.

“I encourage local residents to come along to our drop-in event, which we will confirm and advertise in the coming weeks. Anyone that is unable to make this event can contact Network Rail’s national helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or contact crwest@networkrail.co.uk to find out more about this work.”

ENDS