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Monday 7 Mar 2022

Collision protection beam to be installed on Edinburgh railway bridge

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is to install a collision protection beam on a railway bridge on Balgreen Road in Edinburgh to reduce the risk of damage if the bridge is hit by vehicles.

The beam will provide additional protection to the bridge, reducing the risk of structural damage and potential disruption to rail services. Network Rail is investing almost £250,000 in the project.

The bridge has a history of incidents where drivers have failed to observe the height restriction and driven their vehicle into the structure. The bridge ranks 2^nd in Scotland for the sum of minutes lost to strikes in Scotland over last 10 years, with six registered bridge strikes in that time.

Work to install the beams during nightshift work which is scheduled to take place between 20:00 to 08:00 over the course of a week from 19^th March:

• Saturday 19^th March – Nightshift (Balgreen Road Closed)
• Sunday 20^th March to Thursday 24^th Nightshift (Balgreen Road Single Lane Closures)
• Saturday 26^th March – Nightshift (Balgreen Road Closed)

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “The beam will provide protection to a bridge which has a history of being struck by vehicles whose drivers do not observe the height restriction warning signs that are clearly visible on the structure and on the approach to it.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this essential work which is necessary to protect the structure as part of our commitment to provide a safe and reliable railway.”

Pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained at all times. A diversion for vehicles has been agreed with the local authority and will be in place during the overnight road closures.

If anyone has any questions or needs further information on the work, they can contact Network Rail’s national helpline on 03457 11  41 41