WORKMEN gave up their Christmas Day to demolish an Oxford railway bridge, while the lines were clear of trains.
The replacement of the bridge, which carries the Old Abingdon Road over the tracks at Redbridge, is part of a £71m scheme to upgrade the line between Southampton and Nuneaton to allow larger freight containers to make the journey.
The existing brick bridge, right, was demolished over Christmas, and the road will remain closed until March when its replacement is completed.
Network Rail bosses said they hoped that when the new line is ready, it will take 50,000 lorries off the M40 and A34 through Oxfordshire.
The new bridge will give a higher headroom to allow ‘high-cube’ containers to pass underneath without having to use low-floor wagons.
A similar bridge replacement further down the line at South Moreton, near Didcot, was completed in March.
Meanwhile, no trains will be running through Reading until Thursday because of upgrades at the town’s station.
A different timetable, using replacement bus services, will be in use until next Tuesday, January 4.
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