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Monday 7 Jul 2014

Rebuilt railway bridge reopens three weeks early in Ashton-under-Lyne

Region & Route:

A bridge rebuilt by Network Rail as part of a £400m electrification project to provide a better railway in the north of England has reopened three weeks early.

Oldham Road is one of four bridges which will be rebuilt within Ashton-under-Lyne to create sufficient clearance for overhead power lines which will power trains from December 2016.

Network Rail started to rebuild the bridge on Saturday 1 March and it was due to be completed and reopened by Friday 31 July. The bridge reopened to traffic and pedestrians today (Monday 7 July), three weeks ahead of schedule, meaning less disruption in the local area.

Jon Clee, senior sponsor for Network Rail, said: “It is a significant achievement to complete a challenging rebuild of this nature ahead of schedule. A combination of hard work, careful planning and no additional complications to overcome made it possible and it means less of an impact on local people now the road has reopened early.

“Electrification is an important part of our commitment to provide a better railway as it helps to boost capacity and provide more seats for passengers, while reducing the cost of running the railway. I’d like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience while we complete the remaining bridge rebuilds in the area.”

The North West Electrification Programme is being delivered in five phases between now and December 2016 and will see 352km of track electrified across the north west of England. It is part of a wider £1bn+ investment in the railway in the north west of England which will provide a more reliable, efficient and faster railway with more seats and space for passengers.

For further information on investment in the north west contact Network Rail on 08457 114 141.