The current Common Lane overbridge dates from 1900-01, when the number of railway tracks through Church Fenton was doubled.
Routine bridge inspections by Network Rail have confirmed that the bridge is nearing the end of its asset life, and would need to be replaced during 2027.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade is starting the replacement of the bridge a year earlier, as the current structure is too low to accommodate the overhead line equipment needed to power greener, quieter electric trains.
This means all the necessary work can be done at the same time, reducing disruption to the community in the future.
To enable this work to be safely carried out, the section of Common Lane over the railway bridge will be closed to traffic between 13 July 2026 and 4 June 2027. The rest of Common Lane will remain open.
This will firstly enable utility services to be carefully diverted, one by one, onto a temporary service bridge before the existing bridge is removed.
Then, once the new bridge is in place, the utility services will then be diverted back into their permanent position on the new bridge before work to re-instate the road surface and footway can take place.
The proposed signed diversionary route for vehicles, will be via Sherburn-in-Elmet to the south, as shown in blue on the map below.
All other roads in the area will remain open.
To maintain pedestrian access over the railway line at all times, a temporary extension to the existing station footbridge has been installed before Common Lane bridge was closed and removed.
This will enable a link to be maintained between Sandwath Lane to the west and Station Road to the east via the station footbridge as shown below.
A temporary scaffold service bridge has also been installed to the north side of Common Lane bridge to divert utility services across the line (water, sewer, electric and BT) whilst Common Lane bridge is being replaced.
Both will be removed following completion of the work.
June 2026: Construction of a temporary pedestrian extension to the existing Church Fenton Station footbridge for use throughout the Common Lane overbridge construction works. This will provide a link between Sandwath Lane on the west to Station Road on the east.
July 2026: Road closure of Common Lane over the railway bridge. This will allow electric, water and BT utilities to be diverted. A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) has been submitted to support this.
September 2026: Crane pad constructed adjacent to the bridge and railway lines in the corner of our Rose Lane temporary compound to assist in the bridge removal and installation. A separate crane to the east of the railway line in the Bridge Close area will no longer be needed.
10-11 October 2026: Removal of the existing metal bridge deck and demolition of the existing brick arch bridge section. The metal bridge deck will be moved the short distance into our compound for dismantling. To safely enable this work to take place, there will be a weekend closure of all railway lines through Church Fenton.
17-18 October 2026: Installation of the first section of new bridge. To safely enable this to take place, there will be a weekend closure of the railway line to/from Leeds. York to Selby/Hull/Sheffield trains will run.
24 October to 1 November 2026: Main installation of the remainder of the new bridge beams, deck, parapets and overhead line equipment supports. To safely enable this to take place, there will be a nine day closure of all railway lines through Church Fenton.
October to December 2026: Further construction work and waterproofing of the new structure.
January to April 2027: Utilities diverted back onto the new bridge.
April 2027: Removal of the temporary service bridge.
April to June 2027: Re-instatement of the road surface, barriers, signage and lighting.
5 June 2027: The new Common Lane bridge re-opens to traffic and pedestrians.
June 2027: Removal of the temporary pedestrian bridge and demobilisation of the construction compound at Rose Lane.
The essential work means that on 10-11 October and between 24 October & 1 November buses will replace trains between York and Leeds, and on 17-18 October trains between York and Leeds will be diverted via Castleford.
On 10-11 October and 24 October-1 November 2026, no trains will run between Leeds and York. Replacement bus services will run between York & Leeds and York & Selby (direct), and others between York, Ulleskelf, Church Fenton, Sherburn-in-Elmet and Micklefield, connecting with local trains between Micklefield and Leeds.
On 17-18 October, trains between York and Leeds will be diverted via Castleford. Replacement bus services will call at all local stations between York & Leeds and Selby & Leeds.
Passengers should also be aware that on the weekends of 24-25 October and 31 October-1 November, trains between Darlington, York and Doncaster will also be replaced by buses while engineers carry out a major programme of improvements on the East Coast Main Line. Track, drainage and overhead line equipment will be renewed across various North Yorkshire locations to provide smoother, more reliable journeys.
Rail replacement services will pick up and drop off customers at the bus stops on Main Street. Services towards Micklefield and Leeds will use the bus stop by the White Horse pub. Services towards Ulleskelf and York will use the bus stop outside Kirk Fenton Primary School – look out for the green rail replacement bus signs.
Our site team have revised the temporary road layout at Church Fenton Station to enable a larger lay-by outside the Sunar Bangla Indian Restaurant, for the collection of take-away orders.
The well-known local restaurant, which is open every evening except Mondays, will be able to remain open for dine-in and take-away customers throughout our bridge replacement work.
Our recently opened footbridge extension will also ensure pedestrian access to the restaurant from the west.
