Delays continue over crumbling railway bridge

Delays and cancellations are expected to continue on a Surrey train line due to a damaged footbridge between Brookwood and Woking.

Trains between Southampton and London were affected after engineers discovered "structural defects" to a pedestrian bridge near Woking on Sunday.

Network Rail had originally planned to remove the bridge overnight but now says it will be removed on Wednesday.

South Western Railway (SWR) said a speed restriction would remain in place for all trains on the line and disruption was expected until 6 December.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “While initially we had planned to remove the footbridge overnight, there was a risk we wouldn’t be able to get the work done without delaying customers in the morning.

“Instead, we’ve chosen to erect scaffolding and supports to keep the bridge safe so trains can still run through the area, albeit at a reduced speed.

“We will then go in and start work to remove the bridge on Wednesday when a reduced number of services are expected to run due to the planned Aslef strike, and our engineers will be working on the nearby landslip.

The damaged bridge is a few hundred metres from a landslip which Network Rail plans to stabilise from 8 December.

Passengers have been advised to check with SWR before travelling.

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