Rail service back on track

Welshpool rail users are back on track this week, quite literally after work on the Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth line was completed.

The service was moved onto the road 16 days ago with a bus service used whilst several huge jobs were worked on a 24-hour rota.

The need for day time working is now finished, with night shifts continuing until the work is completed in early July.

As well as considerable work at and close to Newtown station (pictured), Network Rail has also carried out work on the Severn and Carno Viaduct at Caersws.

“With the viaduct now looking better than it has in decades, local communities and tourists can fully enjoy a normal working train service in the area of surrounding natural beauty in the summer period,” said a statement by Network Rail which has undertaken the work.

First constructed in 1860, the 70-metre-long viaduct has been reconstructed twice in 1906 and 1927 and carried the railway over where the rivers Carno and Severn meet.

“By jacking up the railway on top of the viaduct and working from floating platforms, or pontoons, on the river, teams of engineers from Network Rail and contractors AmcoGiffen have replaced three of a total of eleven spans of timber beams. They also carried out remedial work on the rest of the bridge, including the replacement of metallic straps and fixings.

“In their commitment to a greener railway, Network Rail has recycled 100% of the replaced timber from the viaduct. A total of 17-tonnes of timber has been donated to local farmers and residents. The local school has already made plans to use the timber to construct outside benches for their pupils.”

Additional teams removed and replaced 2kms of track further east in Newtown to increase the reliability of journeys for passengers. Extra resilience work was also carried out on railway points (which allow trains to move from one track to another) along with drainage installation.

Claire Williams, Partnership Development Officer for the Cambrian Railway Partnership said: “It is wonderful to see the railway line reopen again for passengers and that the work carried out will make this spectacular line more resilient for years to come.”