Wanborough/Flexford Railway Bridge Repairs

I am writing to inform you of upcoming improvement work which is required on the railway in the Flexford / Wanborough area. As part of this urgent and essential work, Network Rail will be stabilising an embankment either side of the Westwood Lane bridge. As part of this work we’ll be installing sheet pile walls along the embankment, with associated drainage work and a regrade of the slope (altering the ‘steepness’ of the slope).  Sheet piling involves hammering reinforced steel beams into the ground and which can be noisy. For this reason, our operatives will be employing the least obtrusive method of completing this work in order to keep any noise as low as possible. The track is currently poorly supported during the most extreme periods of heat in the summer and coolness in the winter, and as a result, this can cause shrinking and swelling of the clay embankment. Our work in this area will reinforce the embankment and we are working closely with our partners at South Western Railway to ensure this allows us to maintain train performance on our line between Ascot and Guildford via Wanborough Station.

 

Our work at Flexford will take place as follows:

 

Date	Time	Work to be carried out
Mon 13 July 2020	07:00 to 18:00	Off track preparation
Mon 10 August to Fri 27 November 2020	07:00 to 18:00	Installation of pile wall on both sides of railway
Sun 16 August to Fri 21 August 2020	00:30 to 06:00	Survey work on track, installation of targets

 

 

Please note that as the sheet piling activity can be noisy, we will endeavour to complete this work during daytime hours only (07:00 – 18:00).

 

As I mentioned above, due to the nature of the work and the tools we use, some disturbance from the operation of our machinery will be unavoidable and I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Delivering the highest standards of safety is paramount to our work and keeping people safe on and around the railway is at the heart of everything we do. As part of this commitment to safety, all staff working on site are fully briefed on working responsibly in the local community and keeping noise levels to an absolute minimum level.

 

Our teams will be issuing local lineside residents with an information notice, including details of the works and maps of the site in advance of the above dates.

 

I would appreciate your support in sharing these works through your social and communication channels to your communities and members. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with myself by email or on the telephone number provided below. Lineside neighbours are also welcome to contact our 24-hour helpline which is available 7 days a week on 03457 11 41 41, quoting “Railway Improvement Work – Westwood Lane, Flexford: Stabilising the embankment” should they require further information.

 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.