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Thursday 8 Apr 2021

Network Rail completes footbridge revamp at Cottingham station

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Network Rail has completed a major project to revamp Cottingham station footbridge and protect its heritage.

Work began in October on the £880,000 project to make sure the bridge, which was built over 170 years ago, remains fit for purpose for years to come.

Teams removed the old layers of paint so they could carry out detailed inspections of the Grade II listed structure. They replaced the life expired steelwork as well as the timber decking.

Once the repairs were complete, the footbridge had a fresh coat of blue paint to brighten it up for passengers, residents and people visiting the village. Work also took place to install improved floor surfacing across the bridge.

To keep disruption to a minimum, passengers used a temporary scaffold bridge further along the platform whilst the footbridge was having its transformation. The work did not impact on train services.

People are urged to continue following the latest government guidance and keep journeys to a minimum.

Matt Rice, Route Director for Network Rail’s North and East route, said: “We’ve carried out this work carefully to protect the heritage of the footbridge and the transformation looks amazing.

“Passengers, people in the community and visitors to the area can now see the bridge in its former glory and continue using it safely and reliably for years to come.”

Tony Baxter, Regional Director at Northern, said: “The work on the footbridge looks fantastic and I would like to say thank you to Network Rail for all the hard work involved in this project.

“Improvements like these at Cottingham are essential in delivering our long-term strategy to create a better railway for the north and is a great example of the rail industry working together to improve the network.”

The Rt. Hon. David Davis MP said: "The restoration of Cottingham Railway station’s bridge to its former glory is greatly welcomed.

Built in 1845, this bridge and the station are important parts of Yorkshire’s railway heritage. So much so that it is Grade II listed. The fact it is still used by 200,000 passengers every year is a testament to Victorian engineering.

While restoring the infrastructure, Network Rail ensured the station was still accessible to passengers through a scaffold bridge and maintained step-free access. I commend Network Rail on their work, ensuring there has been no disruption to vital train services to Hull, York and London King’s Cross."

Cottingham Councillor Geraldine Mathieson said: “As a lover of railway history I am delighted that this work has been done, and I trust that regular users of the bridge will appreciate the care and attention that has gone into avoiding disruption to services.“

ENDS