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The '''Elan Valley Aqueduct'''<ref group="note">Sometimes abbreviated to "Elan Aqueduct".</ref> can be seen from the Railway where it crosses over the [[River Severn]] at Bath Coppice, just south of [[Folly Point]] between [[Bewdley]] and [[Arley]]. The Aqueduct aqueduct runs for 73 miles from the Elan Valley reservoirs in mid-Wales to Frankley reservoir near Birmingham. It was installed in the early 1900s and the water it brings is now used to supply the towns of Mamble and Tenbury as well as the City of Birmingham. No pumping is required as there is a height difference of 771 feet between the ends of the route which allows the water to flow under gravity at around 2 mph, taking a day and a half to complete the journey. At times of peak demand the supply is supplemented by water from nearby [[Trimpley Reservoirs & Waterworks | Trimpley Reservoir]]<ref>[https://www.stwater.co.uk/leisure-and-learning/reservoir-locations/trimpley/*/tab/about/ Severn Trent Water] (Retrieved 4 December 2015)</ref>.

The first continuous flow of water from the Elan Valley through the aqueduct began on 28 July 1904, a week after the system was ceremonially opened by Queen Victoria's successor King Edward VII. The Aqueduct aqueduct initially consisted of two 42in-diameter pipes, with two additional pipes of 60in diameter being added in 1939 and 1961<ref name=SVR190/><ref>[https://industrialtour.co.uk/elan-valley-aqueduct/#:~:text=The%20Elan%20Valley%20Aqueduct%20carries,markers%20for%20picturesque%20walking%20routes Industrial Tour.co.uk]</ref>.

The project required the line to be lifted and replaced, and this was planned for the six-week shutdown between Christmas and half -term in February. With road access to the location being extremely limited, the SVR arranged for all plant, equipment and materials to be delivered via the Railway from Bewdley. The SVR also provided the use of [[Ruston and Hornsby 165hp Diesel Shunter 319290|Ruston shunter [[D2957]] and crew, resulting in a rare opportunity for revenue-earning freight movement.

Unfortunately, several factors arose to delay completion of the work. During In December 1968 an explosion at West Hagley, at a point where the pipelines cross the 1960s a section Kidderminster to Stourbridge railway, fractured two of the Aqueduct pipeline at Hagley had been blown upfour water pipes, after which the Water Authority had decided to flood the pipeline chamber under the railway with concrete to prevent a similar attack. <ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1968/dec/02/birmingham-water-pipeline-explosion Hansard HC Deb 2 December 1968 vol 774 cc1035-8]</ref> This needed to be removed slowly and carefully with high pressure water jet, so as not to damage the pipes which were still carrying water. <ref name=SStar>[https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2015/02/19/shropshire-aqueduct-pipe-revamp-work-posing-a-huge-undertaking-for-water-giant/ Shropshire Star, 19 February 2015] (Retrieved 23 May 2022)</ref> When the new pipes were ready to be installed, the contractors discovered there was an unexpected 18-inch gap between two of them, due to the prefabricated nature of the replacement pipes and the fact that the dimensions for the existing buried ones had to be obtained from drawings. This required a linking collar to be fabricated and welded into place. Despite 24-hour working, the track bed was not handed back to the SVR until 3pm 3 p.m. on Saturday 14 February, some 3 three days late. This meant the evening's Valentine's Day dining train was unable to use the full length of the line, with a full line service restarting on Tuesday 17 February. The SVR negotiated a suitable financial compensation package for the overrun, in addition to which the car park at Bewdley was resurfaced with tarmac at no cost to the SVR.<ref name=SVR190/> Severn Trent Water also became a corporate partner of [[Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd]].<ref name=SStar/>

The Aqueduct aqueduct briefly appeared in a scene in "Fire on the Line", the third story of the 1980 TV series [[God's Wonderful Railway]].