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Tuesday 26 Sep 2023

Bird's eye footage shows work to prepare Aylesbury’s railway for HS2

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

Network Rail has released spectacular aerial video footage of work to realign almost 2km of track between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations which will allow HS2 to build new high-speed lines beneath the existing railway network.

The dramatic video shows engineers using a ‘New Track Construction’ train to install brand new sleepers and rail across an impressive new 100m bridge built by HS2’s contractor EKFB which will allow passenger and freight trains to run over the top of Britain’s new high-speed railway in the future.

The specialist engineering train, which is one of only two of its kind in the country, successfully installed 2,953 concrete sleepers and 2000 metres of new rail on Sunday 17 September.

Network Rail and HS2 have worked closely to minimise disruption to passengers by preparing a new embankment for the railway to be moved onto before closing the railway in August. As the major project moves past the half-way mark, passengers are being reminded that until Sunday 29 October buses continue to replace Chiltern Railways trains between:

• Princes Risborough – Monks Risborough – Little Kimble – Aylesbury

When complete, HS2 will transform journeys by making space on the existing railway network for more freight and local services.

Patrick Cawley, director for ‘On Network Works’ for Network Rail and HS2, said: “We’re now over halfway through our major work in Aylesbury which will pave the way for Britain’s new high-speed railway to be built beneath the existing line and improve journeys for Chiltern Railways passengers who travel between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and urge people to continue to plan their journeys in advance by visiting www.chilternrailways.co.uk/pra.”

Jacqueline Dey, operations director at Chiltern Railways, said: "We are pleased that these HS2 engineering works are on time, ready for the railway to be handed back at the end of October. We'd like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while this closure takes place, and remind them to check their rail replacement bus journey on the Chiltern Railways website or app before they travel."

While some rail replacement bus service details are finalised, some of the changes may not be currently showing in online journey planners. Passengers are advised to check again closer to the date of travel for more detailed information about rail replacement bus services by using www.chilternrailways.co.uk/pra.