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Viaduct safety concerns cause disruption for train users
04/04/2023
Buses are likely to replace trains for several weeks
Train users planning to travel from Banbury to the south can expect disruption to their journeys following the closure of the railway line below Oxford. Buses are replacing trains between Oxford and Didcot Parkway and Network Rail has warned the line will not reopen before Easter.
The closure comes over fears for the safety of Nuneham Viaduct, which carries the Cherwell Valley Line across the River Thames. The viaduct is located between Culham and Radley, near to Abingdon.
Network Rail has been monitoring the viaduct for some time because of its movement and has been undertaking engineering interventions to stabilise it. The movement in the structure has significantly worsened in recent weeks and has now reached a point where it is not safe to carry passenger and freight trains.
The railway will be closed for at least 2-3 weeks, with more detail being provided once engineers have completed investigation work.
The Managing Director for operator GWR, Mark Hopwood, said: “This is a significant route for us and our customers and we are exploring all avenues to be able to bolster services between Oxford and London.
“To help keep customers on the move we’ve mobilised colleagues to assist at key locations. We’re also looking at what we can do in the longer term, including the possibility of running GWR trains on alternative routes between Oxford and London to support other train operators’ services.”
Nuneham Viaduct was built in 1929 and is formed by of a pair of steel bowstring spans with a pier in the centre of the river.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam