Picture: Network Rail. Coddenham Bridge
Britain’s most regularly hit bridges by vehicles have been revealed.
Network Rail said all the structures were hit ten times for more during the last year.
Coddenham Road bridge in Needham Market, Suffolk, took the most hits – 19 times in all.
Just one strike behind was St John’s Street bridge in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
In third place was Harlaxton Road bridge in Grantham, Lincolnshire with 16 hits.
In 2020-21 there were 1,642 bridge strikes across the country’s rail network.
The damage cost Network Rail more than £5.5 million in delay and cancellation fees.
Sir Peter Hardy of Network Rail, said:
“Bridge strikes cause unnecessary delays, costs and safety issues for road and rail users.
“To compound matters, they drain public funds which should be used on upgrading and improving our network.
“In recent years we’ve done a lot of work with partners across the industry to tackle this problem and whilst it’s encouraging to see numbers on the decline, there’s a lot more work to be done.
“With Black Friday and Christmas fast approaching, we urge professional operators and drivers to properly plan their routes, know the height of their vehicles and look out for road signs warning of oncoming bridges.
“Those who don’t are at risk of losing their driver’s and operator’s licences, and Network Rail looks to recover the entire repair and delay costs from the driver’s employer.”
Picture: Network Rail
– Here are the railway bridges struck the most times in 2020/21:
- Coddenham Road bridge, Needham Market, Suffolk (19 strikes)
- St John’s Street bridge, Lichfield, Staffordshire (18 strikes)
- Harlaxton Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire (16 strikes)
- Stuntney Road bridge, Ely, Cambridgeshire (15 strikes)
- Bromford Road bridge, Dudley, West Midlands (13 strikes)
- Watling Street bridge, Hinckley, Leicestershire (11 strikes)
- Warminster Road bridge, Wilton, Wiltshire (11 strikes)
8=. Ipswich Road bridge, Manningtree, Essex (10 strikes)
8=. Thames Street bridge, Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey (10 strikes)
8=. Lower Downs Road, Wimbledon, London (10 strikes)
