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Tuesday 1 May 2018

Mardy Road bridge in Cardiff reopens following reconstruction

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Mardy Road bridge reopened to motorists yesterday, Monday 30 April, as work continues to modernise the railway between London and Cardiff.

The 122 year old bridge, which connects Rumney and Newton, has been completely reconstructed and raised to accommodate the overhead line equipment needed for trains running on electricity to Cardiff.

The new bridge is wider and includes footpaths, improving access on a busy pedestrian route. It also includes extensive utilities – including telecoms, electricity and water – which were diverted from within the old structure and were undisrupted throughout the duration of the upgrade work.

Steve Keighley, programme manager for Network Rail in Wales and Borders, said: “I am pleased that we have completed the upgrade of Mardy Road bridge and I would like to thank the local community for bearing with us while we carried out this work as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan.

“We will continue to work closely with Arriva Trains Wales and GWR to ensure people can get to where they needed to be as we modernise the South Wales mainline.”

Modernising the railway between London and Cardiff will allow passengers to fully benefit from GWR’s brand new bi-mode Intercity Express Trains. The new trains provide more seats and better on-board facilities for passengers travelling between the two capital cities and beyond, with the new trains running between Cardiff and Swansea on diesel.

The new bridge has a lifespan of around 120 years, and has been strengthened to withstand modern day traffic and heavier vehicles.

Preparatory works began on the bridge in January 2017, with the bridge closing to traffic in late March last year.