Tunnel vision keeps rail project on track

A £250,000 improvement project at Kidderminster's Severn Valley Railway is on track for completion with works now entering their final phase.

More than a third of a mile of track leading to and through the 480-yard Bewdley Tunnel is being replaced as part of essential maintenance at the historic site.

Bosses at the steam railway said work to lay the track was due to be completed this week.

A ballast of crushed stones will then be placed around the new track to strengthen the sleepers while aiding water drainage and keeping down vegetation.

The new track will then be painstakingly aligned to ensure there are no twists in the metal and ensuring it is safe for use by trains. Work started in early January and services at the railway have been halted while the scheme has been carried out.

Trains are scheduled to run again from February 11 in time for the half-term holiday.

Two teams with 13 workers, including railway staff and volunteers, have been carrying out the work.

And infrastructure manager Phil Sowden said it had been a challenging task.

"Because the work has been taking place in a tunnel we have not been able to use large machines to transport materials as we would for other projects," he said.

"It has not only been the work itself but also the logistics of actually getting the materials and equipment to the site."