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Tuesday 6 Oct 2015

Residents invited to drop-in event to find out more about the reconstruction of bridges in Royal Wootton Bassett

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Royal Wootton Bassett residents are invited to attend a drop-in event to find out more about updated plans to prepare three bridges for the arrival of a new fleet of electric trains.

The event will take place between 4pm and 7pm on Thursday, October 15 at the town’s Lime Kiln Leisure Centre. Members of the Network Rail project team will be on hand throughout to explain the plans and to answer any questions.

Network Rail is proposing to demolish and reconstruct the bridges on Marlborough Road/Broad Town and the A3102 Bath Road, and to lower the track underneath the listed Hunts Mill bridge.

The reconstructed bridges will create the additional space needed for the overhead lines that will power a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains to run underneath.

Work at Marlborough Road/Broad Town is due to begin as planned in March 2016. However, work on the A3102 Bath Road bridge will now be moved from Winter 2015/16 to Winter 2016/17.

The revised timetable will allow more time to complete a temporary link road between the two bridges, which will prevent a 35-mile diversion.

Work on the road is currently in progress, but has been delayed by land negotiations, the need to gain consent to cross a watercourse and to translocate Great Crested Newts on the site. The road will not be opened to traffic until work begins on Marlborough Road next year.

Network Rail is working closely with Wiltshire Council on the design of the Bath Road bridge to ensure it is in keeping with its current appearance and is sympathetic to the nearby listed Hunts Mill bridge.

Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s project director for the west of England, said: “We know the residents of Royal Wootton Bassett are concerned about the impact the work will have on traffic in the town, which is why we are building the temporary link road to minimise disruption and avoid a lengthy diversion.

“We have made a revision to our timetable of work, which is why we are holding this second drop-in event. Our first, in May, attracted around 100 local people. All are welcome and I’d urge anyone who wants to know more about our plans, or has a question they’d like answered, to come along.

“This essential work will pave the way for electrification and the benefits this will bring for local residents. These benefits include faster trains with more seats and more legroom, and less noise and pollution for those who live close to the railway line.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About the 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/