Media centre

Wednesday 21 Sep 2016

Residents invited to Royal Wootton Bassett drop-in event as railway upgrade work approaches

Royal Wootton Bassett residents are invited to attend a drop-in event to find out more about the next steps to prepare three bridges in the town for the arrival of a new fleet of electric trains as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan.

The event will take place between 4.30pm and 7.30pm on Tuesday, 27 September at the Lime Kiln Leisure Centre in Royal Wootton Bassett. Members of the Network Rail project team will be on hand throughout to explain the plans and to answer any questions.

Network Rail has spent the past seven months reconstructing the bridge at Marlborough Road/Broad Town, working in collaboration with Wiltshire Council. The bridge is due to reopen to traffic on 21 October 2016.

The reconstruction involved raising the height of the bridge to provide the necessary room for the overhead wires that will power the new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains to run underneath. In addition, the footbridge over the railway now forms part of the new structure; a £500,000 improvement funded by Wiltshire Council.

The old footbridge, which was a separate structure from the road bridge, would have needed replacing in the next five to ten years. Network Rail and Wiltshire Council have worked together to improve the bridge and save costs by incorporating a new footbridge into the new structure.

The reopening of Marlborough Road/Broad Town bridge will allow work to start on the reconstruction of the A3102 Bath Road bridge, and on raising the parapets at the adjacent 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. The track beneath Hunts Mill will be lowered to create the required space, while protecting the bridge’s historic architecture.

In order to safely carry out the work, Network Rail is proposing to close Bath Road and Hunts Mill bridges to traffic and pedestrians between 24 October 2016 and early spring 2017, subject to approval from Wiltshire Council.

To minimise disruption for the local community while this improvement work takes place, Network Rail’s ‘orange army’ built a temporary link road between Marlborough Road and the A3102 to ensure residents don’t have to use a lengthy diversion route. The road has been in use since work started on Marlborough Road/Broad Town bridge in March 2016 and will continue to serve as a diversion while the Bath Road work is carried out.

Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s project director for the west of England, said: “The improvement work we are carrying out in Royal Wootton Bassett is extensive, but essential to bring our railway into the 21^st century.

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

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

ENDS