Flooding: Close call for rail link

9:10pm Sunday 20th January 2008

This picture shows how close the Oxford-Didcot railway line came to being closed by flooding for the second time in six months.

Network Rail engineers have been keeping a 24-hour watch on water levels along the tracks between Hinksey sidings and Kennington since Thursday, ready to stop trains and remove sensitive signalling equipment if the River Thames rose too high.

The route was shut for a week last July after the Thames burst its banks and swamped the tracks.

In a statement last night, train operator First Great Western said: "The arrangements that Network Rail and First Great Western put together have meant that no track has been closed due to flooding, despite the very high risk."

Train services through the area are expected to operate to a normal timetable today, though they will run at a reduced speed through the Kennington area while water levels remain high.

For the latest information, see the rail firm's website or call 08457 484950.

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