OREANDA-NEWS. August 23, 2016. Work has been taking place round the clock at Grove Lane, which crosses four tracks in Barrow upon Soar, since August 1 when the incident happened to secure the bridge and create a safe walking route.

That phase of work is now complete and the footpath, which is protected by a 2.4metre high fence, opened this morning (Monday 22 August).

Gary Walsh, area director for Network Rail, said: “This was a significant incident and a lot of work has gone into securing the bridge and getting it ready to be used. I’m pleased that pedestrians can now access the bridge again and thank those living nearby for bearing with us while the work has taken place.

“We have been in regular contact with those living near the bridge and will continue to let them know about the future plans.”

Plans for the long term repairs to the bridge that would reopen the road to vehicles are currently being designed, with further information to follow as soon as plans are finalised. Trains running beneath the bridge are now back to normal speed.

Members of the public with an enquiry about the bridge repairs should contact Network Rail’s national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

About Network Rail

Network Rail owns, manages and develops Britain's railway - the 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations (the largest of which we also run). In partnership with train operators we help people take more than 1.65bn journeys by rail every year and move hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight, saving almost 8m lorry journeys. We employ 36,000 people across Britain and work round-the-clock, each and every day, to provide a safe, reliable railway.

About the Railway Upgrade Plan

The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail's investment plan for Britain's railways. It makes up two-thirds of Network Rail's ?40bn spending priorities for the five years to 2019 and represents the biggest sustained programme of rail modernisation since the Victoria era. It is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to the tremendous growth Britain's railways continue to experience; passenger numbers have doubled in the past 20 years and are set to double again over the next 25 years - so we need to continue to invest in building a bigger, better railway. For passengers, that means:

  • longer, faster more frequent trains;
  • better, more reliable infrastructure; and
  • better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.