Please see below for updates on our latest work in the Swindon area to electrify the railway between London Paddington and Cardiff.

Roman Road/Ermin Street Bridge

We are currently working to raise the parapets (sides) of the bridge to provide a barrier between bridge users and the overhead lines which will power new electric trains.

Unfortunately, snow, ice and cold temperatures meant that work had to be suspended at the end of last week/beginning of this week.

The road will now re-open on Wednesday 20th December; however, scaffolding will remain in place until April 2018. We will need to return to site over two weekend later in the year to complete any remaining work and remove the scaffolding.

Swindon Station

We’ll be installing steel portal booms to support the new overheard lines in the station over the Christmas period to allow us to complete as much work as possible while trains are not running.

The work is relatively quiet and should not cause a large amount of disruption to lineside neighbours. It will take place between 6am and 6pm on Monday 25th December 2017 and Tuesday 26th December 2017.

Marston Footbridge

Work has started on site at Marston to build a new footbridge and remove/divert two existing level crossings. We expect to be on site until February 2018.

The new bridge will be built with steps and ramps will be added at a later date. As Swindon Borough Council wishes to incorporate the structure into the town’s cycle network, it will be built with a 3m wide deck to allow space for both cyclists and pedestrians. The council will make a contribution towards the cost of the bridge. Following Construction, the overhead line equipment that power the new trains will be installed by Network Rail.

Lady St Margaret footbridge, Stratton

We have started preparation work at the footbridge to make it safety compliant before the line is electrified. The main work will start on the site from 2nd January 2018 and is due for completion in March 2018, with exact dates and times to be confirmed.

Pedestrians will still be able to use the bridge until the 15th January 2018. After this date, they will be diverted over Roman Road bridge at Emin Street until work is complete.

Further information:

If you have any queries about our work, please contact our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or email crwest@networkrail.co.uk.