Network Rail have confirmed that there has been a resumption to passenger services between Leicester and Peterborough following the closure off the line due to a bridge strike.
The strike saw a lorry hit Foster’s Bridge on Bonfire night, however engineers have made good progress to carry out immediate repairs, allowing the line to repone for freight services. This has meant that Network Rail are urging passengers to check their journey before travelling as there are bus replacements in place for all journeys between Leicester and Peterborough (via Melton Mowbray) until Wednesday 23rd November.
There is, however, no disruption to services between Birmingham and Leicester, as well as an hourly service between Peterborough and Cambridge that was kept running throughout the repair work.
Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s East Midlands Route Director, said:
“This has been a massive piece of work for our teams and I am pleased that the line between Leicester and Peterborough will fully reopen next Wednesday. The damage to the bridge at Ketton was substantial and we are very sorry for the impact this has caused.
“Our teams have worked hard to carry out these repairs as quickly as possible and I’d like to thank passengers and the local communities for their patience.”
This line is one of only two that allows freight traffic to move between the Midlands and the port of Felixstowe, with the other one going via London. With engineering work on the Crossrail route already planned, freight traffic will be forced to move through Oakham, as well as going the ‘wrong direction’ through the town and over Foster’s Bridge due to the bridge only allowing one way travel as repairs continue.
CrossCountry’s Regional Director for East Midlands and East Anglia, John Robson, said:
“We are looking forwards to being able to run our services as normal again and are delighted with how efficient Network Rail have been to be able to reinstate services following the substantial impact the damage to the bridge has caused. We would like to echo Network Rail’s thank to the local community and our customers for their patience.”
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