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Monday 2 Nov 2020

Railway reopens for passengers in Calderdale after historic viaduct work

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North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Passengers are being thanked after a nine-day railway closure for the restoration of a historic railway viaduct in Calderdale designed by railway pioneer George Stephenson.

A £3.7m Great North Rail Project investment is securing the future of the 1840-built Grade II listed Gauxholme viaduct in Todmorden.

Taylors bridge, which carries the railway over Rose Bank Road near Todmorden station, is also being completely reconstructed as part of the same investment.

Both projects required the railway to be closed for the last nine days.

Today (Monday 2 November) the line between Blackburn and Manchester via Todmorden reopened to passengers.

Kathryn Berry, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “We’ve made great progress while the railway has been closed for the two major projects in Todmorden. This can only be done with the support of local people and passengers and I’d like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience while we give Gauxholme viaduct and Taylor’s bridge the care and attention they both need.

“This £3.7m Great North Rail Project investment not only secures this important piece of railway heritage but will also mean more reliable and smoother journeys for passengers in future.”

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “The completion of the work is a landmark moment and I’d like to thank our customers for the patience they have shown during the engineering work.

"As a rail industry we are working together to improve the journey experience of passengers.”

Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley, said: “I am incredibly delighted that the railway has reopened on time as part of Network Rail’s work to restore the 1840s Grade II listed Gauxholme viaduct here in Todmorden.

“I am looking forward to seeing Gauxholme Viaduct restored to its former glory when the project is finished in the new year.”

Gauxholme viaduct is being grit blasted to its bare metal for structural repairs to take place.

The structure which spans the Rochdale canal is then being deep cleaned and repainted back to its Victorian splendour.

Both major upgrades are expected to be complete by January 2021. Any ongoing work will not impact on passengers and trains will be running as normal.

A temporary footpath closure remains in place beneath Gauxholme viaduct with a small diversionary route in place for pedestrians.

A pontoon is also in place on the canal to allow workers to access the structure.