Train Services Suspended Due to Urgent Repairs at Barnes Bridge
Disruption expected between Barnes and Hounslow until next week
Barnes Railway Bridge. Picture: Irid Descent
South Western Railway has suspended train services in the area due to urgent repairs being required at Barnes Bridge.
Trains serving stations such as Chiswick, Kew Bridge, Brentford and Isleworth are not expected to resume a normal timetable until Monday 28 November. An hourly service is being run from Kew Bridge to Hounslow.
The bridge remains open for pedestrians.
Engineers carrying out planned inspections using specialist ultrasonic instruments found a small number of defects underneath the 1900s Victorian, Grade II listed structure.
Due to the bridge being a very unique structure, the components that need replacing will take longer to be specially manufactured.
Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said, “We’re extremely sorry for the major disruption this has caused to train services. The safety of our customers always takes priority.
“Engineers found that four out of the 86 large steel pins that are used to hold in place the structural girders, which support the railway tracks above were slightly damaged. Due to the location of the bridge which spans over the River Thames, this makes gaining access to replace the pins much more complex.
“We’re continuing to work closely with our train operating partners at SWR to produce a revised timetable to serve as many stations in the local area as possible.”
Network Rail are also working closely with the Port of London Authority to gain specific access to the underneath of the structure as the work will have an impact on how the river operates.
Peter Williams, South Western Railway's customer and commercial director, said, "Due to the closure of Barnes Bridge SWR trains are unable to serve Barnes Bridge and Chiswick stations until further notice.
"We are amending some services in the area to provide an hourly service between Waterloo to Kew Bridge via Hounslow. We are very sorry for the delay that this will cause to journeys’’.
Tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on buses between Feltham and Barnes, London Overground between Richmond and Kew Gardens and any reasonable alternative route on the tube.
If you are delayed for 15 minutes or longer due to this disruption then South Western Railway pledges to refund your money.
Passengers can check the SWR website for latest information.
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November 23, 2022