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Wednesday 11 May 2016

New Aldershot railway bridge to be painted blue and red in honour of town heritage

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

A new railway bridge over Aldershot High Street is to be painted blue and red by Network Rail engineers in a nod to the town’s historic army garrison and football club.

The bridge, which is being installed by Network Rail as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan, will be installed over Aldershot high street in June. Preparatory work will take place over the weekend of 21 and 22 May. Over both weekends the town’s high street will be closed to vehicles but will remain open to pedestrians.

Mark Evans, Asset Engineer at Network Rail said, “I’m really proud to work for a company that engages so well with the local community by looking for ways to go above and beyond what’s normally expected. We hope to provide a new bridge that resonates within the local community and helps highlight a proud Aldershot history.

While work to renew the 120-year-old bridge continues, Network Rail is keen to remind shoppers that the high street remains open for business.

Mark said, “During these works, it is essential to close the high street to vehicles to allow the safe operation of a large crane which will lift the new bridge into position. We’re keen to stress that while the road is closed to traffic, it’s very much open to pedestrians and open for business.

“The current bridge is over 120 years old so it is essential that we replace it, and we’re working hard to minimise the disruption to passengers, businesses and the local community. We really appreciate their understanding while we carry out these vital works.”

Some train services will be affected and so passengers should check before they travel while the work is going on. Passengers can visit nationalrail.co.uk or southwesttrains.co.uk to check how their journeys will be affected.

ENDS

NOTES

High Street impact: Aldershot High Street will be closed to traffic over the weekend of 21/22 May and 25/26 June. Closures will commence shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, and the High Street will re-open early Monday morning, shortly after midnight. During these times the High Street will be closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians.

Passenger impact:

Week 8   (21st-22nd May)

• Saturday service
  • Services between London Waterloo and Alton will only run between London Waterloo and Woking
  • Replacement bus services will run between Farnborough and Alton, calling at Ash Vale then all stations
  • Passengers should use alternative train services between London Waterloo and Farnborough to connect with the buses
  • Buses will replace trains between Guildford and Ascot via Aldershot.
• Sunday service
  • Basingstoke stopping services will no longer call at Alton
  • Replacement bus services will run between Farnborough and Alton, calling at Ash Vale then all stations
  • Buses will replace trains between Guildford and Ascot via Aldershot.

Full details available at: http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/MayEng2016.aspx#188819

Week 13 (25th – 26th June)

• Saturday service
  • The normal train service will run between London Waterloo and Woking
  • An hourly train service will run between Farnham and Alton, calling at Bentley
  • Replacement bus services will run between Woking and Farnham. Some buses will run through to and from Alton to supplement the train service
  • Buses will replace the train service between Guildford and Ascot.
• Sunday service
• Basingstoke stopping services will no longer call at Alton. These will connect at Farnborough with the bus service below
• An hourly train service will run between Farnham and Alton, calling at Bentley
• Replacement bus services will run between Farnborough and Farnham, calling at Ash Vale then all stations to Farnham
• Additional afternoon bus services will run between Farnborough and Alton
• Buses will replace the train service between Guildford and Ascot.

Full details available at: http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/JunjEng2016.aspx#187794