Network Rail targets February 22 for Stonehaven-Montrose reopening as engineers complete repairs to damaged bridge.
TRAINS should restart between Stonehaven and Montrose from February 22, while engineers complete repairs to a damaged bridge three miles from the site of last August’s fatal accident at Carmont.
On January 15, a section of the parapet fell from Bridge 328, near Tewel, with trains suspended from that day ( RAIL 923). It left the sleeper ends of the Up (southbound) line exposed, and while Network Rail did consider using single line working, it decided instead to close the whole line.
NR confirmed on January 27 that full structural assessments of the bridge (built in the 1840s) are complete and that repair work is under way.
The bridge deck will be strengthened beneath the Up line, while additional concrete supports will be installed on the bridge deck to support and retain the track and ballast.
Once that is complete, work will then focus on rebuilding the parapet wall, while ties will be installed on the bridge to further strengthen masonry. Ballast and track will then be relaid.
“These are significant engineering works and will take time to complete,” said NR Capital Delivery Director for Scotland’s Railway Kris Kinnear.
“The rural location of the bridge and the fact our engineers will be working at considerable height in an exposed location also means this project is a challenging one for our team.”
NR confirmed that Bridge 328 was last inspected in October
2020, while it had last received a detailed examination in March 2018. The company said no significant deterioration in the structural condition had been found during either of these. While there has been movement of the bridge recorded, this has not been since the 1970s ( RAIL 923).
Like Bridge 325 at Carmont, Bridge 328 underwent work last summer to protect it from scouring by Carron Water (the small river that flows under both).
Investigations continue into the cause of the parapet collapse, while additional inspections have been carried out on similar bridges between Aberdeen and Montrose, as well as elsewhere on Scotland’s rail network.
Buses replaced ScotRail and CrossCountry trains between Montrose and Stonehaven during the line closure, while Caledonian Sleeper and LNER suspended their Aberdeen services.