Man is reported after yet another HGV hits bridge
Trains disrupted while safety checks carried out
A man has been reported after a heavy goods vehicle struck a rail bridge in Perth on Tuesday.
Some train services coming in and out of Perth were disrupted or cancelled over a two-hour period after the HGV hit the structure at Tay Street.
Following the collision, at around 5.30pm, a Network Rail Scotland spokesperson confirmed that the structure needed to be “examined” by its engineers before reopening.
In an update at 7.30pm they added: “Following necessary investigations, the line has now reopened allowing services to resume.
“We’re sorry for any delays to your journey this may have caused.”
Train services in Perth then returned to normal with Scotrail also apologising to travellers for the disruption.
Phil Campbell, Scotrail head of customer operations, said: “We’re sorry to our customers who experienced disruption to their journey as a result of this incident.
“The safety of our customers and our people is always our number one priority, so it’s important that the bridge was fully assessed for any damage before trains were able to run.
“Anyone who was delayed by 30 minutes or more is entitled to compensation through our Delay Repay Guarantee. Just keep hold of your tickets and claim on the Scotrail website or mobile app.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 5.30pm on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 to a report of a HGV striking a rail bridge in Tay Street, Perth.
“A man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for road traffic offences.”
The bridge has been hit by overheight vehicles a number of times over the years, including just over a month ago on March 20.
A lorry collided with the structure closing the rail line for a period before it was declared safe – causing travel delays for motorists and train users.
Perth City Centre SNP councillor Andrew Parrott called for more awareness from drivers and their companies after a B&M lorry was crippled when colliding with the bridge in October 2021.
The city centre councillor also demanded the prosecution of drivers.
The area was temporarily cordoned off and the railway line to Dundee was closed for four hours while safety checks were carried out.
In 2019 the PA reported that the Tay Street bridge was struck 17 times between April 2013 and November 2018 – making it one of the worst in Scotland for being hit.