New Trial to Assess Bridge Strikes to be Pioneered in Grantham

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New Trial to Assess Bridge Strikes to be Pioneered in Grantham

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Harlaxton Bridge following a bridge strike - Network Rail
Harlaxton Bridge following a bridge strike // Credit: Network Rail

Remote Monitoring Equipment will be fitted to Harlaxton Bridge on the at .

This Victorian bridge which was built long before road haulage was a viable option, is one of the top five in the country that is frequently hit by lorries hauling containers and trailers.

It was hit eleven times in the space of nine months in 2024, with three of those incidents happening in the space of one week, amounting to delays and repair costs of £600,000 which was footed by the taxpayer.

Today, the bridge now sits right next to a busy road junction where six roads converge and although the bridge has been protected with chevrons, signs and protective beams to warn lorry drivers, the measures seem to fall short of preventing these incidents altogether, which has led to looking at this problem from another angle.

Close up of a lorry wedged at Harlaxton bridge in October 2023 - Network Rail
Close up of a lorry wedged at Harlaxton bridge in October 2023 // Credit:

To reduce the impact of travel disruption to the railway that crosses the bridge, £50,000 has been granted to Network Rail to undertake a trial using cameras and sensors.

The equipment will enable Network Rail engineers to survey the bridge in seconds, drastically speeding up the reopening of the line over the bridge after it has been hit by an oversized vehicle.

This will reduce delays and long periods of examination, which currently involve engineers attending the site and checking the structure, which can take a few hours before allowing rail services to resume.

The network of cameras and sensors to be set up on Harlaxton Bridge will significantly expedite this process by providing real-time alerts and access to video footage.

The cameras will offer visual indications following a , while the sensors will measure the impact and inspect the structure and alignment of the railway tracks.

How the bridge strike technology works - Network Rail
How the bridge strike technology works // Credit: Network Rail

If this trial proves successful, other bridges across the country suffering from regular bridge strikes will be fitted with the same system.

“We work tirelessly to reduce the needless disruption caused by bridge strikes, which nationally cost the British rail industry about £20m a year in delays, cancellations and repairs.

“While we know we cannot prevent all future incidents, this technology will cut the inspection time after a bridge strike from hours to seconds in many cases.

“This means we can have trains running again much sooner after a bridge strike, providing a boost to the reliability of the railway and saving potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We will also continue our efforts in other areas of our campaign against bridge strikes, including making proactive visits to haulage companies to encourage lorry drivers to plan routes carefully and check vehicle heights.”

Michael Clegg, Network Rail route engineer

Responses

  1. Two further suggestions to my previous post would be that semi fixed radar beams come out from each bridge side and measure the vehicle height. Then it really is a waste of driver understanding to say “please make a note of the height of your vehicle”. The only thing that triggers driver action are red traffic lights, Just like level crossings style.
    Additionally, if you really want to be assured of absolute guaranteed success, are these raise up 1m high “ground barriers” (similar to Downing Street and Houses of Parliament) that literally would stop the vehicle in its tracks.

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