Media centre

Friday 28 Jan 2005

ENGINEERS HARD AT WORK TO REPAIR TROWSE SWINGBRIDGE

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

Trowse swingbridge, which carries the railway over the River Wensum in Norfolk, has recently been closed to river traffic due to a technical problem with its lowering mechanism.  Engineers are working hard to identify and rectify the fault, to restore the safe operation of the bridge and enable it to reopen as soon as possible.  Train services are not affected.  Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail General Manager, said: “We are making every effort to understand and resolve the technical problem with this unique bridge, working closely with specialist engineers and manufacturers.  We do apologise to river users for any inconvenience while the necessary repairs are carried out.” The fault with the bridge lowering mechanism was first observed over Christmas, when it was seen to be ‘bouncing’ while lowering.  Engineering specialist, Rexroth, was called out to take data readings from the hydraulic equipment which controls the movement of the bridge.        A temporary bridge closure was then put in place while the results were analysed.  Possible causes of the problem are now being investigated, focusing on the performance of the hydraulic valves that operate the bridge and the specialist oil they use.  Further testing will be carried out next week and any necessary repairs completed as soon as possible, to enable the bridge to reopen to river traffic. Network Rail is working closely with the Broads Authority to keep them updated and ensure river users are made aware of the situation.