A railway bridge in Cambridgeshire that is notorious for being the fifth most-struck railway bridge in Britain has been fitted with remote condition monitoring equipment that in the event of a bridge strike allows the bridge structure to be inspected and the amount of deck movement to be measured.
Stuntney Road bridge at Ely in Cambridgeshire has been struck 12 times over the last 12 months. The deck of the bridge has now been fitted with L.B. Foster's In View Bridge Strike Monitoring solution to check the bridge's condition remotely in the event of any future strikes.
Using solar-powered CCTV, the monitoring program can inspect the bridge for damage caused by collisions around the clock. When an impact occurs, the magnitude and direction of bridge deck movement will show up on the monitoring equipment. An operator will then log into the system's online portal to view a series of images that show the bridge structure and tell-tales. These will allow the operator to determine whether the structure is safe for trains to continue to operate until a bridge strike examiner can perform a full in-person assessment.
An essential part of the solution is the ability to easily check for any movement. This is done using L.B. Foster's unique tell-tale, which amplifies any movement in the bridge on the target and has markings to indicate both vertical and horizontal displacement. A quick comparison of the tell-tale images – before and after a reported strike – indicates any movement in the bridge allowing the bridge strike nominee or examiner to quickly and easily assess whether it is safe for trains to continue to operate.
An essential part of the solution is that bridge movement can be easily identified. L.B. Foster's unique tell-tale is designed so that any movement in the bridge is amplified on the target with markings to indicate both vertical and horizontal displacement. By comparing images before and after a reported strike, any movement in the bridge can be quickly identified, thereby allowing the bridge strike nominee or examiner to quickly and easily assess whether it is safe for trains to continue to operate.
According to Network Rail, in the year 2021-2022, there were 1,833 bridge strikes across Britain's rail network that cost Network Rail almost £12 million in delay and cancellation fees. That is an increase of 13% over the previous year and coincides with an increase in post-pandemic traffic.
L.B. Foster Company, the supplier of the InView Bridge Strike Monitoring solution is a global solutions provider of engineered, manufactured products and services that builds and supports infrastructure. Further information about the company can be found on its website at www.lbfoster.eu
Mike Hull, Head of Special Projects, L.B. Foster Europe says: “Bridge strikes are a costly problem for the railway causing delays to train services and the road network while damage is repaired. When a bridge strike occurs, the railway company has a responsibility to act to ensure the safety of passing trains.
“Our InView Bridge Strike Monitoring is designed to reduce the time taken for an initial bridge inspection after an impact, reducing the duration of bridge closure and delay to trains which in turn reduces compensation costs.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chair of Network Rail said: “Bridge bashers cause serious safety issues on the transport network for both road and rail users. Every incident can delay tens of thousands of passengers while we inspect the bridge and repair any damage – creating a huge cost from public funds.”
Why is there no metal height barriers in front of low bridges in the UK in Romania every low bridge that’s below 4 meters has them .also on the European continent there is a height limit of 4 meters in the UK there is no height limit .Its common sense to prevent bridge strikes .as it will save millions over time also keeping the railways running .
They have chains hanging down before the bridge in Derwent Street Derby.
The drivers should be prosecuted driving without due care….
Why not do as the Indian Railways, and install a sturdy metal frame slightly smaller than the bridge hole on either side of the bridge. This avoids the need for any costly monitoring equipment.
Why are Network Rail unable/unwilling to reclaim the costs from the insurers of the vehicle that struck the bridge?
(sic) “Every incident can delay tens of thousands of passengers while we inspect the bridge and repair any damage – creating a huge cost from public funds.”
Between April 1 2021 and March 31 2022 there were 1,833 bridge strikes reported across the network.
Most of the vehicles that hit railway bridges are Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and buses, at a cost of around £13,000 per strike –costing the UK taxpayer around £23m in a year.
There are also the hidden costs of road closures and diversions adding to the misery of those inocent people who have had nothing to do with this and are penalised in longer journey times. Road users of all kinds together with rail users, both passenger and freight, are also severley inconvenienced.
Most road vehicle insurers would see a £13,000 settlement as par for the course, as treating a new car as a total loss would be of this amount.
However, the insurers would attempt to offset their losses by claiming poor or inadequte signage.
I’m sure that if a road vehicle collided with Sir Peter Heny’s house, he wouldnt just shrugg his shoulders and say oh well, I’ll just have to pay for the damage myself.
Perhaps the way for senior officials to be more careful with public funds is to charge these sort of outgoings to their Bonus Pots.
they should put up bridge guages 100yds either side[As in Greystone in Dublin] so if anything hits the guage it SHOULD tell them to stop
They have this system on the A5 but the trees in front of the signs saying they’re over height need cutting back to enable the drivers to see them.