AssetID: 53074610
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Restoration Work Gets Underway At World's Oldest Railway Viaduct
Caption: These images and this video footage shows restoration work getting underway at the world’s oldest railway viaduct. Britain’s Network Rail has committed £3.8 million to undertake extensive restoration work on the Sankey viaduct in Newton-le-Willows, a historically significant railway structure that first opened in 1830. The Sankey viaduct, also known as the 'Nine Arches' viaduct, holds immense importance as the world's first major railway viaduct and the birthplace of the modern railway system. Designed by railway pioneer George Stephenson, it spans a 160-metre gap over the Sankey valley and was constructed between 1828 and 1830. Upon its completion, the Sankey viaduct connected Manchester and Liverpool, establishing the world's inaugural intercity passenger route with a regular timetable, a concept still in use today. Now at the age of 193, this historic landmark is undergoing crucial maintenance in preparation for its bicentenary celebration in 2030, ensuring its longevity for decades to come. Over the next four months, a dedicated team of 25 engineers and scaffolding specialists will erect scaffolding towers along the viaduct for meticulous repairs, repoint mortar using specialist heritage mixes to match the original materials, perform extensive brickwork repairs, aint the historic metalwork in heritage colours, install strengthening anchors to secure any cracks, remove overgrown weeds and plants, and clean graffiti from the top of the stonework. Mark Evans, Network Rail Capital Delivery senior programme manager, expressed the significance of the Sankey viaduct in the history of the railway, calling it an "unsung hero of Victorian civil engineering."
Keywords: railway,restoration,viaduct,trains,feature,photo,video,history
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