Bletchley Flyover
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Bletchley Flyover | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The flyover from Bletchley railway station on 26 October 2017 | |
| Coordinates | 51°59′32″N 0°44′7″W / 51.99222°N 0.73528°W |
| OS grid reference | SP 868 335 |
| Carries | Varsity line |
| Crosses | West Coast Main Line |
| Locale | Bletchley |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 605 metres (1,985 ft) |
| No. of spans | 37 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrified | No |
| History | |
| Opened | 1959 |
| Rebuilt | 2020–2021 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Bletchley Flyover is a railway viaduct that crosses the West Coast Main Line (WCML) just south of Bletchley railway station in Milton Keynes, England. It was originally a reinforced concrete railway viaduct that carried the former Varsity line between Oxford and Cambridge from 1959 until its closure in 1968. The flyover was retained, but largely unused until 2021, when the East West Rail Alliance partially demolished then rebuilt the structure. It reopened for engineering use in early 2022.
The original structure was composed of 37 concrete spans,[1] resting on concrete piers. It is 605 metres (1,985 ft) long.[2] Most of the spans are beam-shaped; two are double-length arches.[citation needed] Electrification pads were provided when the flyover was first built, despite there being no plans to electrify the line.[citation needed]
History
In 1959, the Bletchley Flyover was opened to carry the Varsity line over the West Coast Main Line (WCML) as part of the British Rail Modernisation Plan.[3][4] The plan proposed to develop the Varsity Line as a freight link from the East Coast ports to South Wales, capable of handling up to 2,400 wagons of coal class traffic and empties daily.[5] However, following British Railways deciding not to proceed with the Swanbourne sidings plan, the line saw little use, with most freight traffic taking other routes.[6]
The Varsity line closed to passengers on 1 January 1968; it remained open to goods traffic until October 1993, when the bridge was mothballed.[2][7] The flyover was returned to use in 2006 along with a mile of track west of Bletchley to a loop at the Newton Longville Brickworks landfill site.[8]
