Train services between Hazel Grove and Buxton that have been suspended since Saturday, 18th February will be suspended for an extra day after unexpected complications developed during work to rebuild a Grade II listed Victorian railway bridge over Buxton Road in Whaley Bridge.
This week, Network Rail has been dismantling the bridge, which dates from 1863, and started to replace it with new steel in keeping with its heritage features.
Because of the bridge's heritage status, Network Rail is working with High Peak Borough Council and Historic England to ensure the work is carried out correctly. About one-third of the original structure will be preserved, and the rest of the bridge will be replaced in keeping with its original design. However, by preserving the bridge's heritage status, the work will take longer compared with a more straightforward modern bridge replacement.
Whilst the bridge was being demolished, the team ran into unexpected problems and, despite detailed surveys of the bridge having been carried out before work started, it was only when deconstruction began that the structure's actual condition was revealed. This resulted in elements that were intended to stay intact during demolition not being able to be removed in one go, leading to the work taking much longer than planned.
The railway will now reopen from the start of services on Wednesday, 1st March, a day later than planned. Whilst train services have been suspended, rail-replacement buses have been operating between Hazel Grove and Buxton. Unfortunately, because of road closures, the rail replacement buses are unable to serve Whaley Bridge. Also, the car park at Whaley Bridge station will remain closed during the bridge works.
The delay does not affect the reopening of the footpath under the bridge which is still due to happen on Sunday 5 March. Also, Buxton Road will remain closed to traffic until Friday, 31st March. All work in connection with the bridge reconstruction is expected to be complete by April.
High Peak Buses services 60, 61, and 190 are accepting valid rail tickets at no additional cost for travel towards New Mills Central. For more information, including bus times, is available at www.highpeakbuses.com
Passengers should note that during the bridge works, journeys will take longer than usual, and should check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel.
To allow trains to resume running from Wednesday, 1st March, work will now continue at pace to install a pre-cast concrete bridge deck.
To find out more about some of the conservation work carried out across the railway network go to www.networkrail.co.uk/working-with-railway-heritage.
Helena Williams, Network Rail scheme project manager, said: “We're sorry to passengers that the railway will not open as expected next Tuesday. This is not the position we wanted to be in and understand that a further day of rail replacement buses and longer journey times will be frustrating for people.
“Working on heritage structures, like this 160-year-old bridge, can sometimes be unpredictable and although we had contingency time factored in, we could not foresee the issues we've encountered. The good news is that we've overcome these setbacks and are confident the extra day is all we need to get the railway reopened for passengers.”
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “Whilst the one-day delay to the re-opening of the line between Hazel Grove and Buxton is unfortunate, it is important to remember that all investment in rail infrastructure is to be welcomed and I would like to thank customers for their understanding whilst the final elements of this work are carried out.”
Yesterday, Friday, 24th February, the project team met with the local MP to explain the challenges of the work so far and show what progress is being made. Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, said: “Today I visited the site of the Buxton Road closure for the repairs to the Whaley Bridge railway bridge.
“It was useful to find out more detail about the project. I will continue to work closely with Network Rail and all other stakeholders to get Buxton Road and the railway line re-opened as fast as possible.”
