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Monday 9 May 2016

Residents invited to drop-in event about railway upgrade work in Corsham

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Corsham residents are invited to attend a drop-in event to find out more about two railway improvement projects in the town as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The event will take place between 4.30pm and 7.30pm on Tuesday 17 May at the Town Hall on the High Street in Corsham. Members of the Network Rail project team will be on hand throughout to explain more about the work and to answer any questions.

The first project forms part of the company’s Great Western Electrification Programme and will involve raising the height of the sides of Pound Pill bridge. This upgrade work is to provide a barrier between the bridge’s users and the overhead high voltage electric lines that are required to power a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains to run underneath.

To minimise disruption for residents, the improvement work will take place overnight, between mid-July and September, ensuring the bridge remains open for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to use during the day. During the overnight closures a diversion route, agreed with Wiltshire Council, will be in place.

The second project is the complete replacement of the aqueduct near Tramways. This aqueduct has reached the end of its life and for safety and reliability reasons must be replaced. The work is extensive and will involve installing the foundations for the new aqueduct, lifting in the new structure, diverting the watercourse on both sides and removing the old aqueduct.

The work is scheduled to take place between mid-July and January 2017. During this time temporary traffic lights will be used to control the traffic flow on Tramways.

Installing the foundations for the new aqueduct can be a noisy process and so the team will be carrying out on site noise monitoring throughout the work and where possible, will be using machinery that emits lower levels of noise.

Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s project director for the west of England, said: “I’d like to thank the local community in advance for their patience and understanding while we carry out this improvement work, which forms part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers.

“Everyone is welcome at our drop-in event and I’d urge anyone who wants to know more about our work, or has a question they’d like answered, to come along.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About the Great Western Electrification Programme

Electrification will transform the railway between London and Oxford, Newbury, Bristol and Cardiff to deliver a faster, greener, quieter and more reliable railway for passengers, with extra capacity. Electrifying this part of the Great Western route will enhance 235 miles of one of Britain’s busiest and oldest railways, better connecting major towns and cities across southern England and South Wales. This investment, as well as the introduction of a fleet of new trains, will improve journey times and make services more comfortable, smoother, cleaner and quieter for passengers and people living near the railway.

For more information about the Great Western Electrification Programme, visit: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/great-western-route-modernisation/