Bridge repairs that are required due to a strike by an oversized vehicle cost millions of pounds every year. New technology could help to address the problem.
Bridge repairs that are required due to the structure being hit by an oversized vehicle cost the British rail industry millions of pounds every year. Besides the cost of the remediation work needed after a bridge strike, there are the knock-on effects of train cancellations and delays and road closures to take into account.
Even if the bridge is not visibly structurally damaged, engineers must carry out thorough checks and inspections to ensure the integrity of the bridge and the rail tracks, which is costly and disruptive. New Civil Engineer reports that Network Rail are trialling a solution to this problem, involving remote sensor technology.
The monitoring equipment is being trialled at the Harlaxton Road Bridge in Grantham, which has been struck 11 times in the past nine months, amounting to costs of £600,000. The bridge displays highly visible chevrons and clear warning signs, but some drivers misjudge the height limit, particularly if they are non-UK native and unused to imperial measurements.
Network Rail route engineer Michael Clegg said: “We work tirelessly to reduce the needless disruption caused by bridge strikes, which nationally cost the British rail industry about £20 million a year in delays, cancellations and repairs.”
He added: “While we know we cannot prevent all future incidents, this technology will cut the inspection time after a bridge strike from hours to seconds in many cases. This means we can have trains running again much sooner after a bridge strike, providing a boost to the reliability of the railway and saving potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
If the trial proves to be successful, the technology could be rolled out to other regularly struck rail bridges. It could mean that engineers will be able to decide within minutes if the bridge needs to be closed for repair work.