A
Victorian
viaduct


in
Oxfordshire
which
was
closed
on
3
April
after
engineers
had
reported
dangerous
movement
of
the
structure,
blocking
the
main
line
between
Didcot
Parkway
and
Oxford,
is
set
to
reopen
on
10
June.

The
closure
has
interrupted
busy
passenger
services
run
by
Great
Western
Railway
and
CrossCountry,
and
also
meant
that
40
freight
trains
had
to
be
diverted
every
day.
Replacement
buses
have
been
running
between
Didcot
and
Oxford,
some
of
them
also
calling
at
the
three
intermediate
stations
of
Appleford,
Culham
and
Radley.

The
failing
abutment
on
the
south
bank
of
the
River
Thames
has
now
been
completely
removed
and
work
is
underway
to
install
solid
foundations
for
a
new
structure.

The
repair
of
the
1856
bridge
over
the
Thames
has
been
described
as
‘complex’
and
’challenging’,
and
required
some
heavy
engineering:

Twenty-four
15m
steel
piles
have
been
driven
into
the
bed
of
the
river
to
create
a
solid
platform
for
the
temporary
structure
that
is
currently
holding
the
weight
of
the
viaduct.
A
750-tonne
crane
has
been
working
at
the
site,
while
3000
cubic
metres
of
material
were
removed
from
the
embankment
to
make
room
for
the
new
abutment.
A
further
eight
piles
have
been
driven
up
to
20m
into
the
embankment
to
give
support.

Network
Rail
capital
delivery
director
Stuart
Calvert
said:
‘The
progress
we
have
made
on
what
is
an
extremely
challenging
project
is
testament
to
the
diligence
and
talent
of
our
teams.

‘There
is
more
hard
work
to
come
but
we
continue
to
operate
round
the
clock
to
reopen
the
viaduct
by
10
June.

‘We
apologise
for
the
continued
disruption
for
railway
users
but
we
are
doing
everything
we
can
to
get
the
railway
running
again
as
quickly
as
possible.’