Network Rail is set to carry out essential engineering work in the abandoned underground mines to protect the railway line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, the infrastructure owner has announced.
One mine shaft in the Hadley area needs to be infilled to insulate the railway against the risk of ground movements and the general instability that comes with such historic mineral reserves.
Because of these works, trains will not be able to run and so a replacement bus service will ferry passengers between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury from:
- Saturday the 18th of March until Monday the 20th of March
- Saturday the 25th of March until Monday the 27th of March
Network Rail has also gone to the trouble of writing to local residents to explain that, whilst engineers will do their utmost to ensure as little disruption is caused as possible, some of the work may be noisy.
Janahan Manickavasagar, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “The railway was originally built in this part of Shropshire to move the many minerals mined underground by the Victorians, but the labyrinth of workings left by our predecessors can pose a risk to the modern railway.
“So they don’t cause unexpected delays in future, we’re carrying out this essential work to secure the mineshaft near Hadley. I’d like to thank passengers in advance for their patience and urge people to check National Rail Enquiries as we will have to stop running trains so we can complete the essential work safely.”
Colin Lea, Transport for Wales’ planning and performance director, added: “We’re pleased to see Network Rail is investing in improving the resilience of the railway between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury. This investment sits alongside our own in transforming services throughout Wales and Borders, including brand new trains for the route in the years to come.”
