Designs unveiled for third new Great Central bridge

An October start is planned for work on a replacement bridge that will bring the two halves of the Great Central Railway between the outskirts of both Leicester and Nottingham closer together.

New computer images show what the £1 million-plus structure over the A60 road at Loughborough will look like when completed.

The existing 120-year-old bridge has been struck many times by lorries and is no longer fit for purpose. Replacing it with a new twin-track bridge will enable freight trains from the national network to comfortably use the GCR line again, and eventually create an 18-mile route for steam operations.

Two other structures needed to achieve this are one over the Midland Main Line at Loughborough and an existing canal bridge, which have already been completed. Two more are required over a local road and a car park.

The appeal for the A60 bridge, launched by the Friends of Great Central Railway Main Line at the start of the year, has so far raised £220,000.