Friday 9 Jun 2023
Rail passengers on the move again through Nuneham as major project to replace 160-year-old viaduct support completes ahead of scheduleEngineers have worked around the clock to safely reopen Nuneham Viaduct, in Oxfordshire, a day early, on Friday 9 June, following an intensive ten-week programme of work.
The railway between Didcot and Oxford was closed on Monday 3 April after significant movements in the viaduct were detected due to emerging structural issues with the south bank abutment (structure that supports the bridge). The abutment was built as part of the original viaduct in 1856.
The rail industry, including Great Western Railway (
GWR▸ ), Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry, worked closely to keep passengers moving during the closure, whilst Network Rail’s engineers and contractors at Balfour Beatty carried out emergency repairs, which completed, ahead of schedule.
On Friday 9 June, the first passenger service to cross the viaduct in just under ten weeks was a GWR shuttle train between Oxford and Didcot. A full timetable for all train operators is planned to resume from Saturday 10 June.
A major projectAround 800 people have worked nearly 60,000 hours, to successfully install the new steel support, which will secure the future of this important rail link for generations to come.
In the final week of the major project, the 150-tonne bridge was lowered onto the new abutment, a new embankment built, before the railway tracks and cables were put back in place.
The repair of the viaduct has been complex, challenging and required some heavy engineering:
24 x 15m long steel piles were driven into the bed of the River Thames to create a solid platform for the temporary structure that held the weight of the viaduct while the abutment was demolished and rebuilt.
Eight more piles were driven up to 20m into the embankment to support the new structure.
A 750-tonne crane was used to lift the temporary structure into place.
4,500 tonnes of material removed from the old embankment
5,500 tonnes of material brought back in to build the new embankment
Engineers will remain on site for up to 12 weeks to finish works and demobilise the construction site, working outside of train operating hours, whilst track, signalling and station upgrades continue in Oxford city centre*...
Notes to Editors
*From Saturday 29 July until the early hours of Monday 7 August Network Rail will be working to upgrade the track just north of Oxford Station - installing new high speed crossovers. To the south of the station, Osney Lane footbridge will be modified, moving one of the piers to make way for track layout changes. Work will also be carried out to adjust the coping stones on platforms inside the station.
