Flooding beneath the railway between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations has seen rail services suspended as Network Rail teams complete emergency repair work to a damaged Victorian brick-built culvert which usually carries a waterway under the tracks south of Aylesbury station.

The last few days have seen heavy rainfall and has seen a swell in water levels within the structure which has made it extremely difficult to monitor repair work underway inside the culvert and has led to the suspension of trains between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations.

Engineers are working day and night in order to complete the necessary repairs, making the railway safe for use once again and able to reopen for both passengers and freight as quickly as possible.

The team are working hand in hand with the Canal and River Trust alongside the Environment Agency in order to control the flow of water feeding into California Brook from the Grand Union Canal basin which is nearby.

Chiltern Railways will be running an hourly rail replacement bus service whilst the closure of the line is in place and will operate between the following stations:

• Aylesbury
• Little Kimble
• Monks Risborough
• Princes Risborough

People travelling between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations are advised to check via www.nationalrail.co.uk ahead of travelling and to add a good amount of extra time for journeys.

Adam Checkley, infrastructure director for Network Rail’s Central route, said:

“We’re really sorry to passengers affected by the closure of the railway between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough while we complete a vital safety assessment and repair of a culvert beneath the tracks.

“The safety of passengers and staff is our number one priority and we’re working hard to reopen the railway as soon as possible. In the meantime, I’d urge passengers to check www.nationailrail.co.uk and with Chiltern Railways for the latest travel advice.”

Jacqueline Dey, operations director for Chiltern Railways, said:

“Chiltern Railways is providing rail replacement buses to keep our customers moving between the affected stations. We apologise to those who will be impacted by the suspension of our services, and thank our colleagues at Network Rail who are working flat out to get the route open as soon as it’s safe to do so.”