The railway between Didcot and Oxford was closed on Monday 3 April after significant movements in the viaduct were detected due to emerging structural issues with the south bank abutment. The abutment was built as part of the original viaduct in 1856.
Network Rail's engineers have been working round the clock to carry out the emergency repairs to reopen the viaduct on Saturday 10 June.
The repair of the viaduct is complex, challenging and requires heavy engineering, which included 24 x 15m long steel piles driven into the bed of the River Thames to create a solid platform for the temporary structure that is currently holding the weight of the viaduct. A 750t crane was used to lift the temporary structure into place and 3,000m3 of material has been removed from the embankment to create space to build a new abutment. In addition, another eight piles have been driven up to 20m into the embankment to support the new structure.
Network Rail capital delivery director Stuart Calvert said: "The progress we have made on what is an extremely challenging project is testament to the diligence and talent of our teams.
"There is more hard work to come but we continue to operate round the clock to reopen the viaduct by 10 June."
