Network Rail has announced that the Cotswold Line will reopen to trains between Hanborough and Oxford tomorrow, Wednesday, February 22, after temporary repairs were completed following a landslip.
GWR is expected to operate a normal weekday timetable, but journey times may be slightly extended due to a 20mph speed restriction past the Yarnton Road overbridge, where a retaining wall collapsed on to the track due to the landslip on Friday, February 10.
The embankment supporting the road was extremely unstable and the landslip exposed a gas main which presented an added complexity to overcome during the repairs.
The work carried out by Network Rail and contractors Balfour Beatty over the past few days has now stabilised the embankment, but a second phase of work will be needed to reinforce the bridge and the road embankment over the next few weeks.
The road passing over the bridge, which links the villages of Yarnton and Cassington, will remain closed to traffic for at least another week.
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