Railway staff swap tracks for towpaths for Rugby canal repairs to help keep boaters afloat

A team of Network Rail volunteers have successfully repaired a canal in Rugby to help keep boaters afloat.

Usually tasked with keeping rail passengers and freight trains safely running on the rail network, eight railway staff helped the Canal and River Trust to ensure Oxford Canal users can keep cruising.

They cleared out a clogged up and overgrown canal feeder channel – these run from small streams or rivers to keep our man-made waterways at the correct levels.

It’s estimated the work carried out by the railway crew saved the charity around £20,000.

Ellen Wintle, Network Rail’s West Coast South infrastructure director, said: “It’s been great to get out and help the Canal and River Trust in Rugby as part of Network Rail’s commitment to volunteer in local communities.”