Essential improvement work to take place on bridge near Coulsdon South station to help prevent vehicle strikes damaging railway bridges.
Network Rail is to fit special beams to a bridge carrying one of Britain’s busiest main line rail routes, to provide protection from lorries and other HGVs that crash into it.
The Brighton Road bridge near Coulsdon South station, which carries hundreds of thousands of passengers on the Brighton Main Line over the A23, has been hit many times by large vehicles too tall to fit underneath, causing major delays and disruption to train services.
To tackle this, Network Rail will install specially designed steel protection beams and support frames that absorb vehicle impacts and protect the structure.
Lucy McCauliffe, Sussex Route Director, Network Rail, said: “We work hard to prevent bridges being hit across the railway by improving signs, educating drivers, and trialling new technology like over-height vehicle detection systems. But where it continues to happen, we also install protection beams like these to shield vital infrastructure. This work at Brighton Road will help reduce delays and improve the reliability of services for thousands of passengers each day.
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Southern that manages Coulsdon South station, said:
"This work is really important if we’re to reduce delays for the hundreds of thousands of people who use the Brighton Main Line."
“However, it will significantly reduce the number of spaces in our popular, busy station car park during much of September and October, so it’s important we tell people what’s happening as soon as possible.”
Image credit: Network Rail
