Network Rail has submitted a revised planning application to City of Edinburgh Council for proposals to install a bridge walk and visitor hub at the iconic Forth Bridge.
The revised proposals include a single-storey reception hub to the east of the Forth Bridge.
It will be sympathetically positioned in the landscape and offer stunning views of the bridge while minimising the impact on the surrounding environment.
A public engagement exercise was held in autumn 2021 to gather feedback from residents, which helped to inform the final designs, following which, the full planning application was submitted.
The proposals are for a bridge walk and reception hub to be constructed on the South Queensferry side of the UNESCO World Heritage site. This will be used to prepare visitors before they head out on the bridge walk; it will also provide an access point to the structure.
Groups of between 12 and 15 people will put on safety harnesses before they are led out onto the bridge's south cantilever, then walk up to a viewing point at the top of the bridge using walkways built into the structure.
The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth 9 miles west of central Edinburgh. Construction began in 1882 and it was opened in 1890.
The bridge carries the Edinburgh–Aberdeen railway line across the Forth between the villages of South Queensferry and North Queensferry and has a total length of 8,094 feet (2,467 m).
Alan Ross, Network Rail Scotland's director of engineering and asset management, said: “We have worked very hard over the past year to draw up revised proposals, making them more affordable and more sympathetic to the surrounding environment without compromising the appeal of this project.
“The plans we have submitted to deliver a bridge walk experience will offer the public a unique chance to explore this world-famous structure and create another exciting tourist attraction for Scotland.”
I would like to see the bridge at close quarters but a walk to the top is a step too far.
I really do hope this happens. Like many many have always wanted to get to the top. Indeed as a member of the public I am one of the very few to have achieved that honour. The views from the top are breath taking. I will if and when this happens be at the front of the queue for a ticket. Please keep us informed and where can I see the plans as I live many hundreds of miles from the Bridge.