£3.3m rail work delays (From Tewkesbury Admag)

£3.3m rail work delays

PASSENGERS on the Cotswold line to and from Oxford face disruption and delays up to New Year's Day.

Network Rail started work on the £3.3 million renewal of Wolvercote Junction on Christmas Eve, forcing the closure of the Cotswold Line from Hanborough to Oxford until it is due to reopen on New Year's Day.

The round-the-clock work will replace the existing 'crossover' - the part of the track that allows a train to cross from one line to another - as well as other essential track components and 440 metres of track.

The existing equipment is about 40 years old. Robbie Burns, Network Rail route director, said: "The Christmas period provides a window of opportunity for essential work on the railway, while minimising disruption to passengers. The improvement work at this busy junction will ensure the future reliability of the line by reducing track-related delays, which is good news for rail passengers."

A shuttle service will run from Worcester to Hanborough, where buses will take passengers the remaining 12 miles to Oxford.

Some express services between London and Worcester are also being temporarily re-routed via Cheltenham and Swindon.

Derek Potter, chairman of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, which represents the interests of train users, said: "As long as disruptions are notified in advance people can work around them."

Passengers between Moreton and Honeybourne experienced delays last week after engineering work resulted in precautionary 20mph speed restrictions on a three-mile section of line between Moreton and Blockley level crossing.