GCR replaces another bridge
Latest phase of the Great Central Railway reunification project gets underway in Loughborough.
THE project to reunify the surviving Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire sections of the Great Central Railway (GCR) reached its latest milestone in the early hours of Saturday, October 1 when work got underway to replace a bridge over a road in Loughborough.
The original GCR bridge over the A60 Nottingham Road, in the northeast corner of the town, was 125 years old and was showing signs of old age with corrosion evident and was deemed to be beyond economic repair. It has also been struck many times by high-sided vehicles.
In due course the structure will carry two lines – the first to connect to Network Rail’s Midland Main Line, the second with the through line between the Loughborough-based GCR with the Ruddington-based Nottingham Heritage Railway.
The new concrete and metal structure is expected to be in place by early November with VolkerLaser as the lead contractor.
While the gradient on the railway will not be altered, the distance between the surface of the road and the bottom of the bridge will be slightly greater which should reduce the risk of bridge strikes. The new structure will also benefit from crash protection.
The reunification project requires 500 metres of Victorian railway line to be rebuilt. A brand new bridge has already been built to carry heritage trains over the Midland Main Line at Loughborough and the existing bridge over the Grand Union canal has been refurbished. After the A60 bridge, two further stages will see a bridge constructed over a local road and car park, known as Factory Flyover.
The project has been championed by Friends of the Great Central Main Line, the members organisation which supports the GCR which has also helped co-ordinate the fundraising with The David Clarke Railway Trust, the GCR’s charitable partner.
The GCR placed the order in April to beat rapidly rising costs, but is still seeking to raise further funds to finish this part of reunification and commit to future phases of the scheme.
Donations can be made at www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify where there’s more information about the reunification project and the work being carried out.