Media centre

Tuesday 5 Apr 2016

New Thorney Lane Bridge now open

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

| Southern

• New permanent bridge over Great Western Main Line in Iver replaces the temporary bridge that has been in place since 2014
• New bridge accommodates overhead cables needed  to introduce greener, quieter, more reliable electric trains
• Click here to download a selection of images of the new bridge

The new permanent Thorney Lane Bridge in Iver is now open. Network Rail has built the new bridge over the Great Western Main Line as part of improvement work in the area for the Crossrail project.

In October 2014, Network Rail removed the old bridge and set up a temporary span over the railway while the new permanent structure was built. The 110 metre long bridge opened to vehicles and pedestrians in the early hours of Saturday 2 April. The temporary bridge has closed and Network Rail will remove it later this spring.

Work will continue into the summer while the surrounding area is reinstated. Over the next few weeks, one of the two lanes will at times be closed while the team finishes its resurfacing work and connecting utilities.

The original Thorney Lane Bridge, along with many others along the route, was not high enough to allow room for overhead electric cables to be installed over the tracks in preparation for new electric trains.

It was announced in February that Crossrail will be named the Elizabeth line when the new service opens to passengers through central London in December 2018. The new, electric Elizabeth line trains, which will be introduced in South Bucks and Berkshire in 2019, will be quieter, smoother and more reliable than the existing diesel suburban trains.

Matthew Steele, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail, said: “We are extremely pleased to have opened the new permanent Thorney Lane Bridge. I’d like to thank everyone in the local area for their patience while we carried out the work. The opening of the bridge marks a big milestone for the Crossrail project in the local area, paving the way for the introduction of the new Elizabeth line trains.”

Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail said: “The Crossrail programme will provide a step change in public transport for people living in the local area – new trains, quicker journeys and better stations. For the first time, people will be able to travel right through central London without having to change trains at Paddington making it quicker and easier to get to a range of destinations across London and the South East.”

ENDS

About Crossrail and Network Rail

Network Rail is a key partner in delivering the Crossrail project. It is responsible for the design, development and delivery of the parts of the route that are on the existing rail network in outer London, Berkshire, Bucks and Essex. Network Rail’s work, which will integrate the new rail tunnels beneath London with the existing rail network, includes upgrades to track, major civil engineering projects, new overhead electrification equipment and improvements to stations and bridges.

The route will pass through 40 stations from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The Transport for London (TfL) run railway will be named the Elizabeth line when services through central London open in December 2018. The Crossrail project is being delivered by Crossrail Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL, and is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and TfL.