Major work to close railway in Aylesbury area

Three important pieces of work will disrupt rail travel in the Aylesbury, Princes Risborough and Amersham area for three months.

Firstly, Network Rail will close the line between Aylesbury, Princes Risborough and Amersham for 12 days between 7 August and 18 August 2023 to repair a Victorian culvert under the railway.

Network Rail will permanently repair the brick-built culvert which was damaged in March 2023, leading to repeated short-notice closures of the line. A temporary repair was made and monitoring equipment installed but, during heavy rain or repeated uses of the locks in the Grand Union Canal, the railway must close as water levels fill the culvert, obscuring the monitoring equipment.

This location is a rare example of where the railway wasn’t built first and the tracks were laid over the culvert which drains excess water from the canal basin. Opening a lock can send many litres of water into the basin which, if it’s already full, must drain via the culvert.

Secondly, immediately after work on the culvert is complete, work will take place to allow the new high-speed railway, HS2, to pass under the existing railway. This will close the line between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough for 10 week that from 19 August until 29 October.

And thirdly, in addition to the railway closures between August and October 2023, Marsh Lane level crossing will be closed to road users from 10pm on Friday 18 August until spring 2024 to allow for major improvement work to take place, as well as a project to upgrade the level crossing in 2024 which will bring it up to modern safety standards.

Patrick Cawley, director for ‘On Network Works’ for Network Rail and HS2, said: “Our major upgrades in Buckinghamshire will help to improve reliability for passengers who have been disrupted this year as well as preparing for HS2 which will transform journeys between London, the Midlands and the North, by making space on the existing railway network for more freight and local services.

“Before work begins next week, we are urging passengers to familiarise themselves with the alternative travel arrangements in place, and planning their journeys in advance by visiting the Chiltern Railways website.”

Jacqueline Dey, operations director for Chiltern Railways, said: “Local customers will know all too well that the damaged culvert has led to numerous short-notice cancellations this year, and we are pleased that a permanent fix will be implemented this summer. Customers should be aware that Network Rail and HS2 works will close the railway for a further ten weeks after these repairs. Rail replacement buses will be in operation during this time, and customers should check before they travel.

“We’d like to thank customers for their patience while these works take place, and we remain heavily committed to working with our industry partners to keep local residents informed before and throughout the closure.”