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Tuesday 20 Oct 2026

Marston Lane reopens following emergency repairs to railway bridge

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

Emergency repairs to a railway bridge damaged by a vehicle have been completed allowing the road beneath to reopen.  

Network Rail has completed repairs to a railway bridge near Nuneaton, restoring the structure and allowing the road beneath to reopen after significant damage caused by a vehicle strike.

The work to the bridge, which carries the West Coast Main Line over Marston Lane, involved the complete reconstruction of a beam, securing access to the railway, and planning complex engineering activity before the road could reopen yesterday (19 October).

Severe damage to the structure, which was caused in June when a heavy goods vehicle struck the bridge meant the edge beam collapsed.

As part of the emergency repairs, engineers redesigned this element to make a bespoke structure that is more resilient to vehicle strikes.

Network Rail maximised the planned closure of the railway between Rugby and Stafford across the last two weekends, combining track renewals to make journeys more reliable and resilient, with the installation of the replacement beam using a crane.

Martin Ball, infrastructure director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “We’d like to thank residents, businesses and motorists for their patience while we carried out emergency repairs to the bridge.

“Safety is paramount and while trains could continue to run safely on the railway, it was important to prevent further damage to the bridge by closing Marston Lane. During this time, we created, transported and installed a highly bespoke structure that will make the bridge more robust, better protecting it from vehicle strikes and reducing the likelihood of severe disruption to local road users in the future.”

Final work on the railway bridge, including handrail repairs and the installation of steel plates at the ends of the beam, will be carried out overnight this weekend. To allow this work to take place safely, Marston Lane will be closed from 10pm on Saturday 24 October until 6am on Sunday 25 October.

Vehicle bridge strikes like these have the potential to be very dangerous and disruptive but they can be avoided.

Drivers should know the height and size of their vehicles - including any loads they are carrying - and carefully plan their routes. To find out more, visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/wise-up-size-up/