There was a scary weekend delay with a much-anticipated bridge replacement on the West Coast Main Line. Work is underway to renew the Clifton Bridge, a structure that carries the West Coast Main Line over the M6 motorway in the northwest of England. After almost a year of preparatory work, the substantive project began last weekend. However, local reports revealed a Saturday setback.
Local news reports, seen by RailFreight.com, claim that demolition of the sixty-year-old life-expired Clifton Bridge was halted for several hours. According to unconfirmed comments, anticipated adverse structural movements materialised. That situation forced engineers to halt the demolition process. On Saturday afternoon, live video feeds showed work on Clifton Bridge suspended. The project team were obliged to assess the situation before proceeding. It’s not yet clear if this will mean an overrun of the installation phase beyond 15 January.
“Taking out” Britain’s logistics arteries
If you were a saboteur charged with crippling the British logistics network, what would you do? Storm the ports, like Liverpool or London Gateway? Knock out a rail hub like Daventry or Felixstowe? Perhaps crash the computer systems at Wembley or Grangemouth? No – none of these high-profile trading fortresses are remotely vulnerable. If you want to take out the British logistics chain, hide out in the heather in the fields of Cumbria, and target a relatively utilitarian structure at a point where critical road and rail arteries cross: Clifton Bridge.
That is just what the stealthy infiltrators have done, from that secretive guerrilla group, known only as … Network Rail. Yes, in all seriousness, the national infrastructure agency has begun the long-awaited and critical phase of the Clifton Bridge replacement project. That has meant the closure, until 15 January, of the West Coast Main Line, Europe’s busiest mixed traffic rail route. It’s also meant the complete closure of the M6 motorway – the principal highway that parallels the railway, and just as important for road-borne freight traffic.
Demo delayed but back on track
Much to the relief of nearby Penrith town, the M6 road closure is only for the weekend just passed … but also the coming weekend as well. That, at least, is the plan. With the demolition of the old concrete structure underway several hours late, it has eaten into the project’s contingency time.
According to reports on the local Penrith Town news service, “demolition is still not underway on the Clifton Railway Bridge [on Saturday afternoon] following issues after tension cables running through the bridge were cut, resulting in bridge movement”. One correspondent could be forgiven for pointing out that they thought “moving the bridge was the whole point”.
Scenic opportunity
However, the assessment went well, and the demo-reno resumed later on Saturday evening. A later finish for all involved, but the work is getting back on schedule. This is a major project, by any measure. It forms part of a £196m (€232m) package, that Network Rail says is essential to make future journeys more reliable for passengers and freight.
Road users will be missing their familiar landmark for the next few weeks, but that’s a positive sign that this project is progressing. To help keep congestion off the diversionary roads (which run through Penrith town), rail services have, for once, been provided instead of bus replacement. That will afford passengers a rare opportunity to travel in the comfort of intercity trains over the alternative and spectacular Settle and Carlisle Line – normally reserved for local passengers and freight (see “Avanti takes the Scenic Route” on RailTech.com).