The Adam Street Bridge has been reopened to allow passenger services to resume following the completion of a £4.3m programme set out to restore the 130-year-old bridge.
A portion of the bridge, that connects the direct line from Queen Street station to Cardiff Bay, has been closed since March 2021, needing significant repair works due to corrosion damage and seasonal wear and tear. The damages had seen restrictions on the load-bearing capacity of the bridge, seeing speed restrictions in place for the normal train services.
Phil Rawlings, Head of Asset Management at TfW, said:
“We’re pleased to have successfully completed the first stage of works to repair the Adam Street Bridge, which will allow vital passenger services through the city to return to normal working.
“Further repairs to allow freight traffic to use the bridge are also progressing well and will be finished over the next few weeks.
“I’d like to thank all the teams involved from Amey Infrastructure Wales (AIW) and Centregreat for their hard work over the last year to achieve such a successful delivery of the project.”
The historic bridge was originally designed to incorporate a complex construction that was originally riveted together. This design of the bridge created complications for the modern reconstruction methods as modern bridges, instead, have standard formed sections that are bolted together.
The works conducted saw extensive cross-girder strengthening as well as renewing and installing new cross girders, complete replacement of the bridge deck in steel, ancillary new steelwork, waterproofing and finishing works. These methods ensured that there would be a steep challenge in the reduction of noise disruption within the project, meaning TfW and its partners put mitigations in place including working during the night to minimise disruption.
Historic rail stations such as Adam Street Bridge, should be repaired and maintained whenever possible as they stand as pillars of cultural significance, not just for the overall UK rail network, but for the local communities in which they serve.
