Media centre

Friday 4 Oct 2013

Rail improvement works – Selby swing bridge and surrounding area

Region & Route:

Some of the rail improvement works which were deferred because of the Hatfield Colliery landslide will be carried out at Selby swing bridge and in the surrounding area over the next three weekends.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, explained: "Two years ago we began to plan the most significant refurbishment of Selby swing bridge since it was built in 1889. This work was reliant upon using a diversionary route via Hatfield & Stainforth to maintain a train service to Hull.

“Unfortunately, the extraordinary events at Hatfield Colliery made the plan unworkable and the Selby project was deferred. The full work on Selby swing bridge has been reprogrammed for next summer. However we will need to complete work over the next three consecutive weekends in order to keep services on the route running reliably until then. We are combining the work on the bridge with level crossing, bridge and track improvements in the area to make the most of the fact that trains are not running and minimise inconvenience to passengers."

As well as work on the swing bridge Network Rail will replace supporting beams on Darycoates intersection bridge and reconstruct Market Werighton canal bridge. There will be track improvements at South Milford, Rose Lane in Tadcaster and Hambleton and the level crossings at Thorpe Gates and Thorpe Hall and Sandhill Lane will be replaced.