Network Rail and the East West Rail Alliance are restoring the Oxford-to-Cambridge line by removing and replacing a flyover which crosses the busy West Coast main line at Bletchley - all while keeping trains and passengers moving safely.
The new structure, on the line between Bicester and Bletchley, is being built to last 120 years with minimal future maintenance required.
Instead of replacing the old flyover like-for-like - which would involve closing the West Coast main line below to build five supporting columns in between the tracks - East West Rail project engineers have used modern methods of construction to build a protective ‘box structure.’
It acts very much like a rectangular railway tunnel, removing the need for separate supporting columns and providing a platform for the flyover to sit on.
This means the West Coast main line - which is one of the busiest mixed-use passenger and freight railway routes in Europe - doesn’t have to be closed during the flyover replacement taking place above as the box structure provides a protective, physical barrier.
This keeps both passenger and freight trains safe below and the workforce safe above.