As part of the new £20m Reston station development, Network Rail has installed a footbridge over the East Coast Mainline.
Teams worked non-stop during a 54-hour window as construction had to be carried out during an extended closure of the line, to allow the bridge sections to be craned in safely.
Six sections, which make up the main framework of the steel bridge and lift-towers, were successfully situated beside and above the East Coast Mainline.
For the largest section, the main bridge span was 16 metres long by 6.5m metres and weighed more than 28 tonnes.
Police escorted the delivery of the bridge sections, including the main, upper and lower spans and the two lift shafts, from Coatbridge via the M8 and A1, before navigating through the tight streets of Reston village to get to the main site.
Lisa McKenna, Network Rail Project Manager for the Reston station development, said “ [the] Installation of the footbridge marks a major milestone for the project’s delivery, and we are grateful to the team at Reston for completing this challenging element of the project safely and efficiently.”
The Project Manager continued, "the bridge and lifts will help deliver easy local access to East Coast Mainline services and will make this area more attractive for inward investment and housing growth, which will both support local communities and the economy."
As well as the installation of the bridge, work was also undertaken to improve the overhead lines through the new station to make the most of the access to the line.
She added, "work will now continue, both on the bridge and the wider station development, which will help open Reston to new opportunities and transform this community.”
Future plans for Reston include the construction of a two-platform station on the East Coast Mainline, on top of 70 car parking spaces and a new access road.
Additionally, the station will be fully accessible, with the lifts and footbridge connecting both platforms.
Once the station is complete, trains will call at the Borders village for the first time in more than half a century.
