A bridge in Cambridgeshire, which was closed after having been struck by an articulated lorry full of wooden pallets on Monday 7 September 2020, has reopened to rail services earlier than expected.
The railway was expected to be closed until Wednesday 9 September after the lorry caused extensive damage to the bridge in Coldhams Lane. However, Network Rail’s engineers worked overnight in order to reopen the line to passengers as soon as possible.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “Our engineers have worked quickly through the night to reopen the line as soon as possible, but this whole incident could have been avoided. Drivers need to know the height of their vehicle. Bridge strikes cost taxpayers millions of pounds and cause delays to tens of thousands of rail passengers every year.”
Bridge strikes are a costly problem for the railway as they cause delays to train services damage is repaired. In 2019, there were 1,787 bridge strikes reported. Of these strikes, 328 locations received multiple strikes and the costliest single strike amounted to £1.8 million in train delay costs.
