Leamington Spa railway bridge's £2.4m replacement under way

[dutchman]

A 118-year-old railway bridge is being replaced at a cost of £2.4m, causing road and rail closures over the Easter bank holiday weekend



The structure has been moved through Warwickshire by lorry, to be installed in place of the old bridge on Rugby Road in Leamington Spa.

As part of the work, some 800 tonnes of foundation stone will be laid, along with new tracks.

Network Rail aims to have the line open by 19 April.

It said the old bridge over the A445 was being replaced because of its condition, which had limited trains passing over it to 20mph (32kmph).

The new bridge will allow more reliable journeys for passengers on the line between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa, in time for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer, a spokesman added.

Paul Randall, a project manager for Network Rail, said it was a "complex engineering project" and the existing bridge will be removed by a huge 96-wheeled transporter vehicle.

Some roads will also be temporarily closed during the work.

[dutchman]

Leamington Spa railway bridge replacement works complete



Work to replace a 118-year-old railway bridge has been completed.

The replacement of the bridge, over the A445, was part of a £2.4m investment designed to improve journeys from Nuneaton to Leamington Spa.

The huge structure was seen being driven through Leamington Spa on Friday.

Work took place over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with rail journeys resuming on the line on Tuesday.

The bridge, on Rugby Road, needed to be replaced, Network Rail said, because its condition limited trains passing over it to 20mph (32 km/h).

The works included the removal of the old bridge, which weighed 372 tonnes, installation of the new 60-tonne bridge, 800 tonnes of railway foundation stone being laid on the new bridge and tracks being reinstated.

Paul Randall, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: "I'm hugely proud of the team who gave up their Easter bank holiday to carry out this major work to improve railway journeys through Leamington Spa.

"Driving bridges down residential streets is no mean feat and our meticulous planning over many months meant that everything went well in time for trains to run again this morning.

"I'd like to thank local people for their patience and understanding while we worked day and night to replace Rugby Road railway bridge and for the work we've still got to do to finish the job."

Engineers will continue to work over the coming weeks, including building up the walls by the side of the new bridge on the railway embankment, which will require some lane closures on the A445.

Work to the railway foundation stones will also be completed overnight.

Work is also ongoing on a £2m redevelopment of Leamington Spa station forecourt, ahead of thousands of Commonwealth Games visitors expected in July.