THE first images of how a new rail bridge for HS2 over the Oxford canal may look have been revealed.

The bridge would carry the new high speed railway link over the canal to the north of Banbury, where Oxfordshire borders Warwickshire.

HS2 planners have revealed images of the bridge, described as a viaduct, which spans low-lying land around the canal as it passes the village of Wormleighton north of Banbury.

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The Government-backed company behind the rail project, which is also called HS2, has described the bridge over the canal as ‘one of eight key design elements on the central section’ of the route between Birmingham and London.

HS2 released images of the viaduct at the end of last week, which show a modern concrete bridge carrying electrified rail tracks and overhead cables being supported by large concrete pillars that fall either side of the canal.

The concept images also show different options for how the pillars should be decorated.

The rail project’s managers want members of the public to give their opinions about whether the ‘masonry finish’ used on a wall in front of the supporting pillars should also be extended to the support the pillars themselves.

A CGI artist’s impression of the Oxford Canal Viaduct with a masonry leaf finish on the piers. Picture: Moxon Architects

A CGI artist’s impression of the Oxford Canal Viaduct with a masonry leaf finish on the piers. Picture: Moxon Architects

The rail company describes the viaduct as being set ‘low in the landscape’, and says it will take railway 62.5m across the canal, towpath and a country lane near the village of Wormleighton.

The proposal is one of 15 viaducts and bridges across the central section of the HS2 route and has apparently been designed to be ‘as open as possible’ for boaters and walkers, allowing views across the landscape and the horizon.

HS2 Project Client Director, Ambrose McGuire, said: “The Oxford Canal Viaduct is one of eight key design elements on the central section of the HS2 route and I’m pleased to see the amount of thought that’s been put into the design.

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“The building of the canals revolutionised transportation and helped to build modern Britain so it’s great to see how our contemporary design includes a nod back to those eighteenth-century pioneers.

“We’re keen to hear what the community has to say and I would encourage anyone with an interest in the bridge to have a look at the designs and let us know their views.”

Opened in stages between 1774 and 1790, the 75 mile long Oxford Canal is one of the oldest in Britain and was designed to bring coal from the Coventry coalfields to Oxford and the River Thames.

The HS2 line has proved controversial with communities across the UK, from London all the way up through the midlands.

Protesters have opposed the felling of trees in rural areas, and have even dug tunnels under Euston Square Gardens in Camden because of plans to build the rail terminus nearby.