Risk of Kidderminster canal closure

THE forthcoming repairs to a viaduct over the Staffs & Worcs Canal at Kidderminster could cause closures.

The Severn Valley Railway crosses the canal on the Falling Sands Viaduct, but the 142 years old structure is in a bad state of repair, Alan Tilbury reports.

Grant from lottery

The railway has been awarded a £853,800 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, that will be spent on repairing the viaduct, that will start next January, but it is expected that this will cause some interruption to navigation whilst work is taking place over the canal.

At present there is a strict speed limit over the viaduct, with the structure having suffered over the years with water seeping deep inside, causing cracks and erosion to the brickwork.

Once the work is completed the current speed restriction on the heritage trains that use the track contained on the seven arched bridge will be removed.