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Friday 24 Feb 2023

Buxton Line closed for extra day due to bridge upgrade complications

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Rail passengers are being advised that the railway between Hazel Grove and Buxton will need to stay closed for an extra day after unexpected complications with a Victorian railway bridge rebuild.

Since Saturday 18 February tracks have been shut so Network Rail engineers can complete essential work to a Grade II listed structure which takes the railway over Buxton Road in Whaley Bridge.

This week Network Rail has been deconstructing the 1863 built bridge and replacing it with new steel in keeping with its heritage features*.

But the team ran into unexpected problems during the demolition of the 160-year-old railway crossing.

Despite detailed surveys of the bridge before work started it was only when deconstruction began that the actual condition of the original structure was revealed.

Elements which were intended to stay intact during demolition couldn't be removed in one go, leading to work taking much longer than anticipated.

That means the railway will now reopen from first service on Wednesday 1 March – a day later than hoped.

Today (Friday 24 February) Network Rail has apologised to passengers for the delay.

To keep people on the move the project team has worked closely with train operator Northern to ensure that rail replacement buses will be in place between Hazel Grove and Buxton during the extended railway closure**.

Passengers are advised that journeys will take longer than usual, and to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel.

Helena Williams, Network Rail scheme project manager, said: “We’re sorry to passengers that the railway will not open as expected next Tuesday. This is not the position we wanted to be in and understand that a further day of rail replacement buses and longer journey times will be frustrating for people.

“Working on heritage structures, like this 160-year-old bridge, can sometimes be unpredictable and although we had contingency time factored in, we could not foresee the issues we’ve encountered. The good news is that we’ve overcome these setbacks and are confident the extra day is all we need to get the railway reopened for passengers.”

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “Whilst the one-day delay to the re-opening of the line between Hazel Grove and Buxton is unfortunate, it is important to remember that all investment in rail infrastructure is to be welcomed and I would like to thank customers for their understanding whilst the final elements of this work are carried out.”

Also today the project team met with the local MP to explain the challenges of the work so far and show what progress is being made.

Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, said : "“Today I visited the site of the Buxton Road closure for the repairs to the Whaley Bridge railway bridge.

"It was useful to find out more detail about the project. I will continue to work closely with Network Rail and all other stakeholders to get Buxton Road and the railway line re-opened as fast as possible.”

Work will now continue at pace to install a pre-cast concrete bridge deck allowing the railway lines to be reinstated in time for trains to run from Wednesday 1 March.

This delay does not affect the scheduled reopening of the footpath under the bridge which is still due to happen on Sunday 5 March.

Meanwhile Buxton Road will remain closed to traffic until Friday 31 March and all work is expected to be complete by April 2023.

You can find out more about some of the conservation work carried out across the railway network at:  www.networkrail.co.uk/working-with-railway-heritage.