Chiltern Railways: Raac concrete update at stations in Bucks

The crisis over the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in public buildings intensified just as children were returning to school from the summer holidays. 

Hundreds of schools in the country, including some in Buckinghamshire, were warned of being at risk of a sudden collapse. 

The concrete, which was common in buildings between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s, has a lifespan of around 30 years, meaning buildings with the material could collapse at any point, the Health and Safety Executive has warned.

High Wycombe railway station (Image: Newsquest)

The Free Press contacted Chiltern Railways after the dilapidated look of Banbury station in Oxfordshire raised one of the reporters' concerns over the potential presence of Raac. 

Now Chiltern Railways has reassured passengers over the presence of Raac at Buckinghamshire stations, which are managed by it and owned by Network Rail. 

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A Chiltern Railways spokesperson said: "While we are unaware of any presence of RAAC, we are currently reviewing all of the assets we use to confirm this, which includes working in collaboration with Network Rail to understand if there is a risk of RAAC at any of the stations we currently manage.

“The age profile of the railway means that the risk is low and we don't believe there to be an issue, but in the unlikely occasion that RAAC is present at one of our locations, we are committed to working swiftly with Network Rail to implement mitigation plans."

Banbury railway station near Buckinghamshire (Image: Newsquest)