New footbridge for Winslow Station set to lifted into place by giant crane

The new footbridge for Winslow Station is due to be craned into place tomorrow, Wednesday. The East West Rail Alliance, which is responsible for constructing the new railway between Bicester and Bletchley/Milton Keynes, including building the new Winslow Station, is preparing to install the footbridge that will provide access over the railway.

With the help of a 500-tonne crane, the lifting of the footbridge is currently planned to take place during normal working hours on Wednesday, May 3, but this is subject to weather conditions.

An Alliance spokesperson said: “We expect these works to be low impact, however we will make every effort to reduce disruption and work with consideration for the local community. Apologies for any inconvenience caused by these works.”

The track construction programme for East West Rail – one of the biggest of its kind currently in the country – is now 65 per cent complete and the Alliance remains on target to complete in February 2024, with the team now working on two fronts, from Bicester to Poundon and Bletchley to Steeple Claydon.

Installation of 1.8km of track between Twyford and the Calvert HS2 integration area is due to be completed next month, and the installation of of more than 11.2km of track between Winslow and Steeple Claydon is due for completion by July.

So far, over 43km of track has been installed across the project, and in recent months, the Alliance has begun the main signalling, power and communications programme, which involves installing all the electrical equipment, cabling, signals and systems required to connect the new railway to the existing rail network.

All five of the new East West Rail overbridges have been completed and opened to traffic, with eight of the 10 new pedestrian footbridges also open to the public, and the majority of the bridge refurbishment works are either complete or nearing completion.

But project director Mark Cuzner said the Alliance remains remain “acutely aware of the impact that our works are having on the local community”.

He added: “On behalf of the Alliance, I would like to again apologise for any disruption which may have been caused and thank everyone for their ongoing patience and understanding as we construct the new railway.”