{"id":285200,"date":"2025-09-16T18:33:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=182703"},"modified":"2025-09-16T18:33:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:33:10","slug":"historic-high-peak-viaducts-freight-future-secured-after-7-5-million-upgrade-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=285200","title":{"rendered":"Historic High Peak viaduct\u2019s freight future secured after \u00a37.5 million upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/railuk.com\/rail-news\/historic-high-peak-viaducts-freight-future-secured-after-7-5-million-upgrade\/\" title=\"Historic High Peak viaduct\u2019s freight future secured after \u00a37.5 million upgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"485\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/16093055\/Chapel-Milton-viaduct-Network-Rail-485x360.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;\" link_thumbnail=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/16093055\/Chapel-Milton-viaduct-Network-Rail-485x360.jpg 485w, https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/16093055\/Chapel-Milton-viaduct-Network-Rail-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Major improvements to an historic railway viaduct in the Peak District are complete, securing its future for freight trains serving four major quarries in Derbyshire.<\/p>\n<p>Between 29 August and 7 September teams from Network Rail and its contractor AmcoGiffen strengthened a 160-year-old 15-arch structure on the Great Rocks freight line near Chapel-en-le-Frith.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of two iconic structures which converge high above the hamlet of Chapel Milton and is one of the region\u2019s most photographed railway viaducts.<\/p>\n<p>The twin structures are also a mainstay of the success of the country\u2019s freight network, allowing trains to transport stone, cement and limestone from four major quarries to destinations across Great Britain.<\/p>\n<p>These goods are essential for the construction sector, which uses the materials to build homes, roads and railway upgrades such as HS2.<\/p>\n<p>Since May the \u00a37.5 million investment has seen:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Voids filled across each span to strengthen the structure.<\/li>\n<li>Brickwork repairs.<\/li>\n<li>Reinforcement of the parapets (bridge walls).<\/li>\n<li>Installation of new waterproofing and drainage systems.<\/li>\n<li>Installation of handrails and guardrails to improve the safety for workers.<\/li>\n<li>Railway track replaced and realigned.<\/li>\n<li>On average 25,000 tonnes of material is carried over the viaduct daily.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Network Rail has released drone footage and shots from track level showing the scale of the work.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-wistia-inc wp-block-embed-wistia-inc\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"20250910_ChapelMiltonPRVideo_O\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/mb96skevfb?dnt=1#?secret=yvoqkmMAET\" data-secret=\"yvoqkmMAET\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Emma Thistlethwaite, Network Rail project manager, said: \u201cIt\u2019s been hugely rewarding to breathe new life into this fantastic Victorian structure and secure its future for freight services for decades to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNestled in this picturesque valley we know how much people love these viaducts and I\u2019d like to thank local people for their patience and understanding while we\u2019ve been on site, especially to those who\u2019ve been impacted by traffic management and any noise relating to our work over the last few months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Max Lloyd, AmcoGiffen framework director, added: \u201cCompleting such a complex programme in just nine days at Chapel Milton viaduct was a real team effort, and we\u2019re pleased it was delivered safely, collaboratively, and on time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking closely with Network Rail and our key supply chain partners, we overcame the challenges of a tightly controlled window to complete works that will provide reliable routes for freight operators for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re also proud to have supported the local community, enhancing the outdoor space at Chinley Independent Chapel, whose members gave invaluable support throughout the project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next phase of the work will see remaining track foundation stone alignment using a special machine called a tamper.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside this, the site compounds will start to be wound down and removed by October, and the sites used will be re-wilded as part of Network Rail&#8217;s commitment to not only restore the land to how it was before but to enhance biodiversity as part of the project.<\/p>\n<p>Image credit: Network Rail<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/railuk.com\/rail-news\/historic-high-peak-viaducts-freight-future-secured-after-7-5-million-upgrade\/\" title=\"Historic High Peak viaduct\u2019s freight future secured after \u00a37.5 million upgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"485\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.railuk.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/16093055\/Chapel-Milton-viaduct-Network-Rail-485x360.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"\"><\/a>Major improvements to an historic railway viaduct in the Peak District are complete, securing its future for freight trains serving four major quarries in Derbyshire. Between 29 August and 7 September teams from Network Rail and its contractor AmcoGiffen strengthened a 160-year-old 15-arch structure on the Great Rocks freight line near Chapel-en-le-Frith. It\u2019s one of [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4920,343,78,47,16031,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heritage","category-infrastructure","category-rail-freight","category-rail-news","category-structures","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285202,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285200\/revisions\/285202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}