Media centre

Wednesday 21 Apr 2021

Road and rail changes during Port of Workington bridge upgrade

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Motorists and rail passengers are being advised about changes to journeys while a railway bridge is rebuilt at the Port of Workington.

Network Rail is replacing Siddick bridge which provides key access to the important Cumbrian port*.

Thousands of vehicles transport around 500,000 tonnes of cargo in and out of Workington each year.

The next phase of the project will see the old road bridge demolished and a new one installed.

During the work motorists will need to follow a road diversion from Thursday 22 April to Sunday 6 June 2021.

So traffic can still access the port, a temporary level crossing has been created to allow vehicles to cross the railway.

A new footbridge and service bridge already built will open to the public tomorrow (Thursday 22 April) so pedestrians can safely cross.

Roisin Nelson, sponsor for Network Rail, said: “This major bridge upgrade secures both the future of the railway and operations at the Port of Workington for its businesses and customers. Siddick bridge will be entirely replaced with a modern structure which will mean more reliable journeys for passengers and freight on the railway below, with the new bridge needing much less maintenance in the future. I’d like to thank port users and local people for their patience.”

Meanwhile, the railway will need to be closed for the old bridge to come down over the early May bank holiday, between Saturday 1 and Monday 3 May 2021.

Network Rail is advising passengers to travel either side of the bank holiday weekend on Friday 30 April and Tuesday 4 May.

• For more information read more here: 'Travel either side' of May Bank holiday in North West

During the railway closure Northern will operate a railway replacement bus service between Workington and Carlisle.

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “We’re working closely with Network Rail to minimise disruption for our customers during this vital engineering work, but there will be some impact to our services on the Cumbrian Coast line.

“Customers should plan their travel carefully for the early May bank holiday and allow extra time for their journeys.”

Passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk in advance for alternative journey information.

A new pre-cast concrete bridge will be constructed in the coming months and will open to motorists on Monday 7 June 2021.