HUGE hydraulic hammers were used to demolish this bridge over the railway at Challow.

Contractor Murphy was employed by Network Rail to knock down Challow Station Road Bridge on the A417 over the weekend.

The rail firm is rebuilding 29 bridges in Oxfordshire as part of its £2bn electrification of the Great Western Main Line.

It needs to raise each one to make room for new overhead electric wires that will allow it to run larger, faster and more environmentally-friendly trains.

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Murphy took over the train line at Challow from 1am on Sunday, stopping trains from using that section of line for 29 hours.

Site manager Bernard Egan said his team used a 500-tonne crane and 35- and 45-tonne excavators fitted with hydraulic jackhammers.

He said: “We broke out the brick and concrete using the jackhammers then lifted out the steel beams.”

Ground worker Garry Egan said: “The demolition went very well and we are on target to install the new bridge deck this weekend.”

The team will install the new bridge deck this weekend, lifting into place 26m-long, 34-tonne solid steel girders, using the crane.

Murphy will again take possession of the line for 29 hours, from 1am on Sunday.

The bridge is due to re-open to traffic in December.

Electric trains have more seats than diesel trains of the same length.

Network Rail has said the new trains will be able to make journeys quicker, will be cheaper to run, need less maintenance and have lower energy costs than diesels.

Electric trains also emit about 30 per cent less carbon per passenger than a diesel train, the firm has said.

Highways authority Oxfordshire County Council has asked drivers between Wantage and Faringdon to take a 30-minute diversion on the A338 and A420.

This though, led to problems for the authority.

Some drivers ignored the official diversion, instead using a cut-through on Cow Lane, Denchworth.

Residents complained about the volume of cars using the road, so the council installed first temporary then permanent road closure signs.

When these, too, were ignored, the council installed water-filled barriers across the road as a “last resort” at the end of September.

As part of the electrification, the rail firm will have to close the Grade II listed bridge at Steventon High Street for eight months from January to August.

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