Traffic chaos as lorry gets stuck

HGV collides with a beam at town’s level crossing

Rail services and traffic in Motherwell were brought to a standstill last Thursday after a lorry crashed into a beam at a level crossing.

Emergency services were called to accident near Motherwell Bridgeworks last Thursday afternoon after a B&M Bargains lorry became stuck.

The vehicle was heading towards Bellshill Road from Logans Road when it collided with a section of metal hanging above the crossing.

Traffic faced tailbacks throughout Motherwell town centre with one driver complaining about the closures.

Charlie Ross, from Muirhouse, said: “The traffic has been bad enough with Hamilton Road being closed at the top end and this only made matters worse.

“The road was closed for ages because of the lorry as they had to move it away. The whole of the town centre has been like a car park.”

Train services were affected for a couple of hours whilst they were looking to remove the HGV and the safety beam above the crossing was also removed due to safety concerns.

Network Rail Scotland confirmed the lorry was removed following the collision, tweeting: “Logans Road level crossing Motherwell is closed to road traffic after lorry collide with a stanchion. Rail services returning to normal but may be delays. Although lorry has been moved clear of the crossing at Logans Road, damaged stanchion still poses a safety risk to road traffic.”

A spokesperson for the ScotRail Alliance said: “Just after 1pm on Thursday, July 13, a lorry struck the overhead height beam at the crossing.

“The lorry has been removed and normal train running was reinstated just after 2.40pm. There is no damage to the roadway or crossing but we needed to remove the beam before the road can re-open.”