Asbestos discovery 'will not delay' station upgrade

The discovery of asbestos during works to upgrade Oxford Station will not further delay the project, Network Rail has said.

The substance was found in the ground at the Old Station Nursery site on Thursday.

The scheme has led to the closure of Botley Road, a major route into the city, and has faced repeated delays with no date yet for completion.

Network Rail initially posted on social media to say it had "further delayed" its progress, but has since said it would not "have a significant impact".

A spokesperson said its teams had been demolishing the nursery building to use the site for works on Sheepwash Bridge, including putting in new rail and road bridges.

"While the nursery building was relatively new, the ground at that location has been in use since the 1800s - when the railway was first built - and used to be part of the wider station area, which has led to a number of discoveries of materials that were previously buried," they said.

The spokesperson added that the Oxfordshire Connect project had paid for the nursery to be temporarily relocated to the Becket Street car park, and it would be rebuilt after it was finished.

The towpath has been closed by Rewley Road to the footbridge coming over from Abbey Road.

Network Rail said it would be reopened temporarily "in the near future" before it gets closed again "for safety reasons" later in year.

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