Media centre

Monday 7 Sep 2020

Disruption to rail services after lorry causes substantial damage at a Cambridgeshire rail bridge

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

A lorry has hit a railway bridge in Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, today (Monday 7 September) causing disruption to rail services between Ipswich, Cambridge and Ely. The road is also currently closed.

Network Rail engineers are carrying out inspections but photos show extensive damage. Examinations and repairs will need to take place before the line can be safely reopened. Passengers are advised to check how their journey will be affected.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “There is no excuse to not know the height of your vehicle before starting your journey.

“As well as putting lives in danger on both road and rail and causing lengthy delays for passengers and road users, drivers who chance it at bridges are at risk of losing their licenses and leaving their employers with a hefty bill for repairs and train delay costs, along with a strong threat to their own operators licence.”

Bridge strikes are a costly problem for the railway and can cause delays to train services and on the road network while damage is repaired.

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 a year.

To find out more about Network Rail’s wise up, size up campaign go to www.networkrail.co.uk/wiseupsizeup

Notes to editors

Passengers should check how their journey will be affected with their train operator.

Train services between Ipswich and Cambridge may be cancelled, delayed or diverted to and from Ely.