Rail station footbridge removed for renovation

TO BE PAINTED IN HERITAGE COLOURS

THE footbridge at a village railway station has been take away to be renovated before being returned.

The bridge at Narborough station was removed at the weekend as part of an £800,000 Network Rail project to strengthen, refurbish and brighten up the structure.

Bosses said the refurbishment work will ensure the bridge remains fit for purpose for passengers and people visiting the town, as well as providing a boost to the traditional aesthetics of the station.

The metallic elements of the footbridge will be stripped back to bare metal to allow repairs to be carried out.

The bridge will then be fully repainted in the heritage colours of green and white, to match the recently painted signal box.

Work will also be carried out to improve the surfacing across the footbridge and its adjoining staircases.

The project is expected to be completed in mid-December.

The Friends of Narborough Station supported the renovation project.

A spokesman said: “We’re delighted this classic Victorian station is getting some much-needed love and attention and we can’t wait to see the bridge when it’s newly refurbished.

“The village station is an icon at the heart of this South Leicestershire community, and we’re hoping this renovation work will ready Narborough for the years to come.”

The footbridge was temporarily closed from Monday, September 28 and is expected to stay shut until Friday, November 27.

During this time, passenger access between platforms will be via Narborough level crossing.

Disabled users have been assured there will be no steps to negotiate to reach the platform. The work is not expected to delay any trains.

To allow the bridge to be removed there was a road closure at the level crossing between 9pm on Saturday and 7.30am on Sunday. The bridge is due to be reinstalled later this month with a similar road closure between 9pm on Saturday, October 31 and 7.30am the next day.

During the closure, a signposted diversion will be in place for drivers and access will be maintained for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists.

Neil Grabham, customer services director for East Midlands Railway, said: “Step-free access will be maintained as passengers can use the level crossing to get across to the other platform. The works do not impact on any of our train services.

We would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Narborough station is on the Birmingham to Leicester line.