An innovative and attractive footbridge design has been unveiled by Network Rail at Rail Live, which is an exhibition that is focused on the rail industry.
The circular bridge design is set to “revolutionise” how bridges are built over railway lines, say Network Rail.
These bridges are made from lightweight Fibre-Reinforced Polymer, which is widely used in the aerospace and automotive industries with great success.
Installation of the new bridges takes a matter of days due to the material being so light that transport and installation of the bridge is much more efficient and cost-effective, and all of this is great news as it will lead to less disruption for passengers.
Other exciting features of the bridge are its modular design, which means it is easily adapted to different locations and even more impressive is that the bridge will feature built-in monitoring to monitor usage and maintenance needs.
Andy Cross, Network Rail Programme Manager, said “We were able to take a different approach. This has allowed us to work with several small and medium-sized businesses, many of whom haven't worked on railway projects before but have the skills and expertise to bring the concept of a lightweight, low-cost footbridge to life.
“In just 11 months we have developed a prototype bridge that is stunning in design, environmentally friendly and will take days and not weeks to install and thereby causing less disruption for the surrounding community.”
It is hoped that the new bridge design will be rolled out across the country as part of the project which aims to transform how footbridges are built on the rail network in future. The next phase of the project will include a ramped version of the bridge to support those with impaired mobility.
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Atherstone station on WCML has been crying out for a replacement that is innovative
This is a prototype bridge to demonstrate how we can build bridges cheaper yet better so that we can afford to address the accessibility issues raised. To currently build a ramped or bridge with lifts is expensive and can take years to happen The intention for this bridge is to cut costs and speed up the timescales, working with communities to be able to provide an affordable bridge that best meets their needs. That may be ramped, stepped, have a bike channel etc.
A stepped bridge is the right solution for where this bridge is to be installed on the railway. The next version will be a fully accessible version as mentioned in the article.
Not to be forgotten is that it potentially reduce the cost of re-instating double by reducing the cost of having to provide lifts. I am thinking of Torre as an example. If a four track version is available another potential place could be Dawlish Warren which could provide an alternative to using the dangerous underpass that is also used by cars.
How do wheelchair users, cyclists, and people with pushchairs or prams use this?
The rail industry continue to ignore bikes and wheelchairs. Trains with tiny bike cupboards a downgrade from what came before, now a continuation of badly designed foot only bridges with steps rather than ramps. Locking people out of active last-mile travel and reinforcing car dependency.
This looks to be the perfect solution for a dangerous road bridge in Surrey where residents have been campaigning for a footbridge for nearly 50 years.
The narrow, hump-back bridge is on a sharp S-bend with extrememly restricted sightlines. The structure was built in 1884 for farm carts but now is used by large numbers of trucks, coaches, buses and SUVs, all driving too fast.
A safe crossing is desperately needed as it’s the only all-weather walking route between two villages, but the council won’t act unless a certain minimum number of people are killed there! (Incredible but true.) Understandably, most people who can, go by car, thereby adding to the problem.
What we need is a light, affordable, quickly erected FB, and I reckon this design fits the bill, especially as FRP can be coloured to blend in with the background and the shape and profile match those of the exisiting road bridge. The lightweight design means groundworks and land take will be minimised.
So, are we just supposed to praise this even though wheelchair bound people are unable able to use this fancy new stupid design? If your starting from a black sheet, make sure ALL users can use it. Not that hard.
How do you know wheelchair users can’t use it? As you can see, the example pictured isn’t finished and we don’t know anything about the surfacing, final gradient, whether it has steps or is step-free. If it’s modular, that means it’s adaptable. Don’t condemn something before you have all the facts.
It has steps.
Could Network Rail replace old rusty footbridges at stations with new footbridges with ramps or lifts installed.