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Wednesday 15 Feb 2023

Update on closure of railway between Oxford and Kingham following landslip

Region & Route:

Wales & Western

| Wales & Western: Western

Following a wall collapse and landslip at Yarnton near Oxford on Friday evening, part of the railway line between Oxford and Worcester is closed while Network Rail undertakes emergency repairs to the bridge and surrounding land.

On the evening of Friday 10 February, a side wing wall of the road over rail bridge at Yarnton, Oxfordshire, collapsed onto the rail line serving Oxford to Worcester. Network Rail was on site immediately to repair the damage and put in place protective barriers to protect the rail line, however further land slips have continued to occur in the embankment adjacent to the bridge, and as a result the railway between Oxford and Kingham is currently closed.

Network Rail’s team of engineers has been onsite investigating options to stabilise the embankment so that the road bridge and railway underneath it can be safely reopened to traffic. The ground is currently extremely unstable and poses a significant risk to the stability of the road and utilities in the road. The landslide has also exposed a gas main, and works are required to protect the pipeline as well as the ground around it.

Network Rail engineers are now working with specialist civil engineering contractors Balfour Beatty to design and install sheet piling to act as a retaining wall to support the embankment and road and make it safe to undertake long term repairs. 

The detailed design work is currently being completed off site, and materials are in the process of being moved to the bridge in order for the sheet piling wall to be installed, starting this Friday (17 February). Once the sheet piling retaining wall is in place and secure, engineers will work to fully reopen the railway to passenger services under a speed limit from next Wednesday (22 February).

Following this further works will be undertaken to reinforce the structure and ground before removing the speed limit once the bridge and surrounding area are identified as fully secure.

Nicky Hughes from Network Rail, said: “We have been working closely with our specialist civil engineers and Southern Gas Networks to identify the best plan to stabilise the ground to support the embankment and road over it as quickly and safely as possible.

“We have now agreed the supporting structures that need to be put in place, and later this week, once we have the detailed designs, we’ll be on site to erect substantial sheet piling to provide a retaining wall to support the ground above.

“When we are confident that it’s safe to do so, we will reopen the railway under a precautionary speed limit on Wednesday 22 February, which our teams will be working tirelessly to achieve.

“We’d like to thank passengers and the local community around Yarnton for their patience, and GWR for providing rail replacement bus services for passengers between Oxford and Kingham.”

Until this section of the railway can be reopened there is an amended train service operating as follows:

• During peak times, London <–> Worcester train services will continue to divert via Swindon
• A replacement bus service is operating between Oxford and Kingham, calling at Hanborough, Charlbury and Kingham
• A shuttle train service is operating between Worcester/Great Malvern and Charlbury – passengers for onward travel should change at Kingham.

For the latest travel information, please visit: https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/check-your-journey, or https://www.nationalrail.co.uk.