Loughborough canal bridge work questioned by Great Central Railway shareholders

Four Great Central Railway shareholders have raised concerns about unfinished restoration work on the railway’s Grand Union Canal bridge in Loughborough, six years after an email in March 2020 told shareholders the work was “almost complete”.

The group says it is losing confidence in the railway’s management. One member is a founding member of the Main Line Steam Trust, the organisation from which the company evolved. They point out that the charity has been fundraising for the project.

A shareholder said the restoration was meant to include repointing and repairs to the bridge walls, but that photographs show the bridge is “not in good shape”. They fear that leaving the work unfinished could allow further deterioration and increase the eventual repair bill, including the cost of sourcing non-standard capping bricks.

Great Central Railway says the bridge is in good order and that a qualified structures engineer regularly inspects its bridges. On its project website, the railway says a major overhaul of the canal bridge was completed in 2020 and that it is ready for trains. In July 2020, minor work and a final inspection were still to be carried out, with delays attributed to winter storms and then the lockdown.

Malcolm Holmes, the railway’s general manager, said the work in question mainly involved superficial brickwork on wing walls, which would be carried out as funding permitted. He added that work on the bridge was otherwise substantially complete and that the reunification project was continuing, with further construction expected.

The bridge forms part of that reunification project. Great Central Railway (Nottingham), which operates the northern section, says the partners have planning consent and hopes to advance the next sections in 2026.