Good afternoon,

Today Network Rail announced an extended closure of the railway south of Aylesbury station to allow vital repairs and preparation work for the new HS2 railway to be completed. As a result of the closure, which will begin in August, we’re advising passengers in Buckinghamshire to plan ahead as the work will mean major changes to journeys.

Here’s a link to the press release we issued with our partners at Chiltern Railways and HS2: https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/changes-to-chiltern-journeys-due-to-railway-repairs-and-hs2-work

What’s happening:

Engineers will repair a Victorian culvert underneath the railway in Aylesbury during a 10-day closure between Monday 7 and Friday 18 August which will affect all trains between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville.

Immediately after that, HS2 work to allow the new high-speed line to pass under the existing railway will take place, affecting all journeys between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough until Monday 30 October.

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.

PHOTO: Close up of the damaged culvert south of Aylesbury station.

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.

From 19 August, Network Rail working in partnership with HS2, will move and replace more than a mile of track and signalling equipment on the line south of Aylesbury to make way for the new HS2 line which will pass beneath the existing railway.

PHOTO: Aerial view of where the new HS2 railway will pass beneath the Princes Risborough – Aylesbury line.

The major work means there will be no train services between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough for a further 10 weeks with services resuming on Monday 30 October. Chiltern Railways will operate a rail replacement bus service between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough during this time, calling at Little Kimble and Monks Risborough.

Keeping passengers informed:

We are working closely with our partners at Chiltern Railways and advising passengers to check before they travel at www.chilternrailways.co.uk and www.nationalrail.co.uk for updates and details of alternative travel arrangements during the extended closure.

Ahead of the work starting in the summer, we’ll be communicating the closure to passengers online, via information at stations and at a series of drop in events – we’ll share the details of these with you soon.

If you’d like any further information about the railway closure and the work taking place, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Jonathan

Jonathan Cooke

Senior communications manager

(Pronouns: him/his/he)

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