Railway bridges struck by road vehicles - many incidents, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), 5th July 2026

Why do lorries still keep hitting railway bridges?

For rail passengers, it can be galling to hear or read that your train has been delayed, putting your journey, your day, back into a land of uncertainty.

That is the obvious consequence when a vehicle, especially a lorry, hits a bridge carrying the service in question. It can lead to days of disruption, gridlocked roads - and also cost millions of pounds to fix.

Bridge strikes, as Network Rail calls them, have been factor for decades and, recently, one caused major disruption in Warwickshire, delaying trains across the country while engineers checked the structure was safe.

But why do they keep happening?

Between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 1,666 reported bridge strikes across the country's rail network, according to Network Rail, with crashes costing the operator about £23m a year in repairs.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yet another one - from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Trains delayed as lorry crashes into railway bridge at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

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Suffolk Police closed the road while efforts were made to retrieve the large lorry - Image © Marie Cee

Train services were delayed and motorists came to a halt after a lorry crashed into a railway bridge before overturning onto its side.

The large blue heavy good vehicle struck the bridge on Orttewell Road at the junction with Barton Road, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, at 13:33 BST on Wednesday.

Greater Anglia said services between Ipswich and Cambridge had to operate at reduced speeds "to ensure the safety of the railway".  It added that disruption to be expected until Network Rail engineers sent to the scene to inspect the structure were able to confirm it was safe for trains to travel over it.

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The large lorry overturned as it struck the bridge in Bury St Edmunds

A spokesperson for the train company said: "Greater Anglia and Network Rail are sorry if your journey has been affected by this disruption.  Advance purchase tickets holders will be allowed to travel on earlier or later trains if their booked service is cancelled."

Suffolk Police confirmed officers and other emergency services personnel, including firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene.  They had received a report of a lorry that had "toppled over", a spokesperson said.  The road was closed and no injuries were reported.