NR acts on bridge strikes
NETWORK RAIL relaunched a campaign to highlight the issue of bridge strikes during the run up to Christmas, a typically bad time of year for the problem. As part of this NR published a list of most-bashed bridges in Britain, the worst of which had been hit on average once a fortnight during the previous 12 months. The figures show railway bridges are struck a staggering five times every day on average across Britain, causing almost half a million minutes of delays for rail passengers.
The Watling Street bridge on the A5 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, is Britain’s most-bashed bridge, having been struck 25 times in the last year, causing unnecessary delays and safety risks for rail passengers, motorists and locals. Taking second place on the list was the Bromford Road bridge in Dudley, West Midlands, which saw the most rail passenger delays attributed to bridge strikes, with a massive 4,300 minutes – almost 72 hours – of disruption from 24 strikes.
The ‘Lorries Can’t Limbo’ campaign was rolled out at motorway service stations, reminding drivers to ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ before starting their journeys. NR has worked with industry bodies, including Highways England, the Driver and Vehicle
Standards Agency (DVSA) and hauliers, for a number of years, leading a Bridge Strike Prevention Group to ensure companies and their employees are provided with the knowledge and tools they need to avoid striking bridges. Although there has been a 11% drop in such incidents in the last financial year (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020), bridge strikes remain a dangerous and costly concern.
The 20 most struck bridges for 2019-20 were:
1. Watling Street, Hinckley, Leicestershire 25 strikes
2. Bromford Road, Dudley, West Midlands 24 strikes
3. St John’s Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire 23 strikes
4. Stuntney Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire 19 strikes
5. Abbey Farm, Thetford, Norfolk 16 strikes
6. Thurlow Park Road, Tulse Hill, London 14 strikes
7. Carlisle Road, Cleland, North Lanarkshire 13 strikes
8. Harlaxton Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire 13 strikes
9. Stonea Road, Stonea, Cambridgeshire 13 strikes
10. Coddenham Road, Needham Market, Suffolk 11 strikes
11. Lower Downs Road, Wimbledon, London 11 strikes
12. Warminster Road, Wilton, Wiltshire 10 strikes
13. Prescott Street, Wigan, Greater Manchester 10 strikes
14. Greenhills Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire 9 strikes
15. Newhouse Road, South Ruislip, London 9 strikes
16. Kenworthy Road, Homerton, London 9 strikes
17. St John’s Road, Isleworth, London 9 strikes
18. Jews Lane, Twerton, Somerset 9 strikes
19. Barrowby Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire 8 strikes
20. Cambridge Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire 8 strikes