Albrighton Railway Station closes for two weeks

The works are needed to replace the bridge on which Albrighton station is located. Both the listed footbridge and cast iron railing also need to be preserved. To complete the work, the station was closing from today to April 23.

The old bridge will be removed and replaced with a new one.

Station Road underneath the bridge has already been closed since March 20 forpreparatory works and eventually will allow a large crane to put the new bridge into place.

Replacements buses will run, except over the Easter weekend and on Sunday. Buses take 10 minutes in each direction and run to an amended timetable, so passengers are warned to allow extra time for journeys.

Car parking will be available for free at Cosford for passengers who want to drive there instead.

The Grade II-listed bridge at Albrighton station was originally built in about 1880 and had part of the structure replaced more than 80 years ago. Most of the bridge is approaching the end of its life and will have to be replaced. The cast iron parapets will be retained and refurbished and overall the work will ensure that the bridge lasts a further 120 years.

Drop-in events have been held in Albrighton in the recent months to make sure residents are aware of the work.

Dominic Mottram from Network Rail said: "We recognise the work to install this new bridge will cause some disruption and thank people in advance for their patience.

"This bridge needs to be replaced and the renewal is part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to deliver a better and more reliable railway."

Albrighton has recently been one of four stations in Shropshire which has had new self-service ticket machines.

As well as allowing people to buy tickets and use contactless payments, the machines can also be used to collect tickets ordered online via London Midland's Click and Collect system.