Trains back on track after repairs to unsafe Nuneham Viaduct

The bridge over the River Thames carries CrossCountry and Great Western Railway services, as well as freight trains

Rail services between Didcot and Oxford have resumed after a two-month line closure caused by an unsafe viaduct.

Services had been expected to restart on Saturday but the first passenger train ran on the line earlier.

Nuneham Viaduct, which crosses the River Thames near Abingdon, was declared unsafe on 3 April.

The closure meant more than 100 passenger services were cancelled each day and 40 freight trains that run on the route diverted daily via London.

It has been an enormous project, part of the viaduct has been demolished and rebuilt.

A stronger embankment has been built up to a new bridge abutment to replace the 160-year-old one that was sinking into the riverbank.

Network Rail did not know that part of the original wooden structure from 1844 was buried behind the cracked and sinking brickwork.

The issue came from a soft clay riverbank with poor structural integrity.

Trains were halted on 3 April due to the emergency closure of the Nuneham viaduct

Shuttle trains between Oxford and Didcot are now running at reduced speed. A full timetable will resume on Saturday.

Travellers are being urged to check their journeys before they travel on the line.

Network Rail capital delivery director Stuart Calvert said: "We're extremely pleased to be able to reopen the railway through Nuneham ahead of schedule.

"A complex and challenging repair like this would normally take two to three years to complete, but thanks to the hard work and dedication of our talented teams of engineers, and industry experts, this major project has been turned around in just under 10 weeks."

Engineers will remain on site for up to 12 weeks to finish the work.

About 800 people have worked on the repairs, which have included demolishing and rebuilding part of the 150-tonne bridge