ARCH VILLAINS
Fury as 480 historic railway structures face wrecking ball
HERITAGE fans are steaming over government plans to destroy rail bridges and tunnels across Britain.
Campaigners say a 10-year wrecking ball programme is “brutal vandalism”.
Some 130 structures on old lines loved by ramblers face demolition or being filled in. In total, 480 could go.
Highways England says the plan – costing £13million for phase one alone – is necessary because the structures cannot safely handle traffic flows.
But campaigners say it could stop railways from reopening, halt heritage lines extending and thwart the creation of cycle and walking trails.
Rob Bell, host of C5 show Walking Britain’s Lost Railways, said: “I’m frustrated and disappointed. Many of these structures may well belong to big government agencies but, in truth, they belong to communities around Britain where they’ve stood for 150 years. The voices and ideas of those communities need to be heard.”
Initially, 54 disused structures will be removed, with around 80 more being explored. But in total, Highways England is hoping to cut its estate by up to 15% – 480 structures. Those at risk of infill include the 1.4-mile Queensbury Tunnel in West Yorks, which campaigners hoped to include in a cycle link.
Two bridges in Alnwick,
Northumberland, are also set to be infilled, despite being on a proposed trail. Inspection reports show both bridges as being of low danger risk.
Lobbying alliance the HRE Group described the plans as “finishing off what Dr Beeching started”. Spokesman Graeme Bickerdike claimed: “There are no ‘urgent safety grounds’ and infilling is entirely avoidable through a weight restriction.
This is routine asset management activity which they are pretending is urgent and a public safety issue.”
More than 3,000 have signed a petition to save the structures.
Highways England said the aim was to “maintain safety”. A
These sites have stood 150yrs and belong to the people ROB BELL HERITAGE FAN AND CHANNEL 5 HOST
spokesman said: “Most bridges earmarked for infilling are over 100 years old and never designed to carry the weight of modern traffic.
“We are planning to infill 115 bridges and remove 15 structures over the next five years.”