Bath’s rail heritage getting work

Network Rail has started a spring 2026 programme to restore two Brunel-era rail structures near Bath: the Sydney Gardens footbridge and the east portal of Box Tunnel. (networkrail.co.uk) The work covers the cast-iron footbridge in Sydney Gardens, which Network Rail says is the last surviving footbridge of its kind on the Great Western Main Line, and the eastern entrance to Box Tunnel near Corsham. Network Rail said the public work area in Sydney Gardens was set up from Monday, April 13, 2026. (networkrailmediacentre.co.uk) At Sydney Gardens, crews are erecting scaffolding, wrapping the bridge to contain dust, stripping rust and old paint by grit blasting, repairing steel and masonry, and replacing the full wooden deck before repainting it in its original colors. Network Rail said that phase runs from mid-April to late June 2026. (networkrail.co.uk) At Box Tunnel, engineers began site clearance at the end of March and are carrying out surveys, site investigations and masonry repairs at the Grade II listed east portal. Network Rail said that work is due to finish on Friday, May 8, 2026. (networkrail.co.uk) The Bath project is hitting the railway during two planned closures between Bath Spa and Chippenham on April 25-26 and May 2-4, when buses will replace trains on parts of the route. Network Rail said the same closures will also be used for track renewal at Bathford and drainage work in Corsham. (networkrailmediacentre.co.uk) Sydney Gardens footbridge carries extra weight in heritage terms because it is listed at Grade II* by Historic England, a higher designation than standard Grade II. Historic England records the bridge was first listed on August 11, 1972. (historicengland.org.uk) Box Tunnel’s east portal is separately listed at Grade II, and the tunnel itself sits at the center of Brunel’s original London-to-Bristol route. Network Rail says the tunnel opened for traffic on June 30, 1841, after construction delays on the Great Western Railway. (historicengland.org.uk) (networkrail.co.uk) That 1841 date matters for both structures: Network Rail says the Sydney Gardens bridge was completed around 1841, and Box Tunnel was completed the same year. The current repairs are aimed at keeping two working railway assets from the earliest years of the line in service rather than replacing them. (networkrail.co.uk 1) (networkrail.co.uk 2) For Bath residents, the most visible change will be in Sydney Gardens, where the footpath beneath the bridge is closed and pedestrians are being diverted while the second park footbridge stays open. By early summer, the city should have the same Brunel bridge back in place, just with new timber, repaired ironwork and fresh paint. (networkrailmediacentre.co.uk)