28.01.15
Watford renewals: Orphanage Road bridge work set to begin
Preparatory work to replace the railway bridge at Orphanage Road in Watford is due to start next week, as part of the £81m project to upgrade and deliver a more reliable railway between Milton Keynes and London Euston.
Once complete, the upgrade work – a major part of Network Rail’s Watford Area Renewals Programme – will allow trains to travel through this stretch at 125mph instead of 90mph.
As part of the preparation work to allow the new bridge to be installed, Orphanage Road will be closed to road and pedestrian traffic for 12 weeks from Monday February 2 to Friday April 17.
The new bridge will then be installed over the Easter bank holiday weekend, as John Nixon, senior programme manager on the project, recently told RTM.
As part of the work on the bridge, Network Rail says a collision protection beam will be installed to protect the structure against being struck by vehicles.
Terry Strickland, Network Rail area director, said: “This investment is absolutely vital to help us deliver a better service for passengers. The section of track through Watford Junction is one of the most intensively used, high-speed sections of railway in Britain and has seen tremendous growth in traffic and passengers over the last five years.
“A key part of the scheme is to rebuild the bridge over Orphanage Road, to ensure we have a structure that is in good condition for future decades of railway and vehicle traffic. Once complete, the work will also enable trains to travel at a faster speed through this stretch of railway. Together with new track and signalling this will help to deliver a better railway for passengers.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]