BRIDGE WATCH DAY 7: Everything that's happened since Corby bridge closed

It's now been almost nine months since Corby's Cottingham Road bridge closed.
Road Closure: Corby: Cottingham Road rail bridge closed

Saturday, 29th September 2018 NNL-180929-190214009Road Closure: Corby: Cottingham Road rail bridge closed

Saturday, 29th September 2018 NNL-180929-190214009
Road Closure: Corby: Cottingham Road rail bridge closed Saturday, 29th September 2018 NNL-180929-190214009

The closure as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade, which began in January, was initially due to end on August 14 but that was then extended to September 10, and then September 29 with little notice.

And last week, it was announced just days before the closure was due to end that it would now be extended to October 19.

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On Monday (October 1) the Northants Telegraph launched Bridge Watch, running a story a day until the scheduled opening date, to ensure that Network Rail stick to their word and re-open the bridge in order for the Old Village businesses to be sure their footfall increases in the vital run up to Christmas.

Ed Akers, principal programme sponsor at Network Rail, apologised for the delay in re-opening the bridge.

He said: “We are working closely with partners to ensure the work on the bridge is finished as quickly as possible and we’d like to thank residents for their patience whilst we complete this vital upgrade.”

Today, day seven, we’re looking at what’s happened in the world in the time it’s taken Network Rail to do the project.

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Major events, world firsts - it’s a different place to before the bridge was shut.

January 19: The Cottingham Road bridge closes.

January 20-22: The US government enters a federal shutdown.

January 31: A total lunar eclipse takes place, the first blue moon eclipse since 1983.

February 9-25: The 2018 Winter Olympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

March 4: Sergei and Yulia Skripal are poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury.

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March 9: Donald Trump accepts an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss the de-nuclearisation of North Korea.

March 18: Vladimir Putin is elected as Russian president for a fourth time.

March 19: The world’s last male northern white rhinoceros dies in Kenya, making the species functionally extinct.

March 25: The world’s first non-stop flight between the UK and Australia takes off, flying from Heathrow to Perth in 17 hours.

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April 4-15: The 2018 Commonwealth Games take place in Australia.

April 18: Cinemas open in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 1983, screening Black Panther.

April 27: Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea to meet President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to cross the demilitarised zone since its creation in 1953.

May 8-12: the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Lisbon, won by Israeli Netta Barzilai.

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May 19: Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle, watched by a global audience of 1.9bn.

May 25: Ireland votes to repeal a ban on abortion.

June 14-July 15: The 2018 World Cup takes place in Russia, won by France.

June 24: Saudi Arabia allows women to drive.

July 10: Twelve boys and their football coach are rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand following a 17-day ordeal.

July 27: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2003.

August 2: Apple Inc becomes the first public company to be worth $1 trillion.

September 6: India decriminalises homosexuality.

October 19: The Cottingham Road bridge finally re-opens?