23.06.16
Disused railway section to be removed as Ordsall Chord progresses
Four rail arches will be demolished this weekend as a section of Manchester’s disused railway is demolished in order to make way for the Ordsall Chord.
The arches at the Middlewood Viaduct have to be removed to allow the Ordsall Chord, which will link Manchester’s Piccadilly and Victoria stations for the first time, to be tied into the railway.
The north east bound and south west bound carriageways of Trinity Way, which is close to the demolition site, will be closed to traffic between Hampson Street and Irwell Street junctions from 8pm on 25 June to 6am on 27 June, with signposted diversions.
Nick Spall, route delivery director for Network Rail, said: “For safety reasons it is necessary for the road to close. The time has been chosen so disruption to drivers is kept to a minimum.
“It has been planned in consultation with Manchester City Council and Salford City Council and we apologise for any inconvenience it may cause.”
The process of building the Chord was delayed by a legal challenge by Mark Whitby, former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, who claimed that his alternate scheme could deliver the same improvements in services with less impact on the heritage of structures in the area.
Network Rail said that the project will preserve Manchester’s heritage, pointing out that it will run along the Grade 1 listed Stephenson’s Bridge, which will be restored and on display for the first time since the nineteenth century.
RTM interviewed Mark Carne, CEO of Network Rail, about the Ordsall Chord last year. We also talked to Martyn Angus, LNW route senior programme sponsor at Network Rail, about how work is progressing on the Chord ahead of a major block of work at Easter.
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