Mansfield railway bridge hit 40 times in last 10 years – 'once every 90 days'

According to new figures by East Midlands Railway, 54 vehicles struck railway bridges last year.

East Midlands Railway has shared 2023's top 10 hit bridges in its region to help raise awareness, with Debdale Lane on the A6075, Mansfield, having been hit 40 times in the last 10 years – equating to once every 90 days.

Industry research has found that 43 per cent of HGV drivers admit to not measuring their vehicle before heading out on the road, and 52 per cent admit to not taking low bridges into account.

On average, each strike costs the UK taxpayer around £13,000 and in 2023 the top ten bridge strikes in EMR's region led to 3,325 minutes of delays alone.

EMR is urging drivers to understand their vehicles' height limits and guard against the causes of bridge strikes.

These causes include:

• Going off the line of route, including under diversion
• Operating 'not in service' and taking a shortcut
• Insufficient route knowledge returning a vehicle to the depot for maintenance
• Those normally drive a single-deck vehicle taking a double-deck vehicle on a single-deck route

Top 10 bridge strike locations in 2023

1. Mansfield - Debdale Lane (A6075) -2. Kettering- Rothwell Road -3. South Wingfield - Matlock Road (A615) -4. Syston - Fletton Bridge / High Street -5. Trowell - Stapleford Road (A6007) -6. Hinckley - Rugby Road (B4109) -7. Market Harborough - Scotland Road -8. Longton - Bridgewood Street -9. Sileby - King Street -10. Bull Bridge - Ambergate

What East Midlands Railway had to say:

Michael Webb, joint head of performance at EMR, said: “Unfortunately, bridge strikes are a constant issue that affects our network each year.

“A bridge strike has the potential to cause a train derailment with catastrophic consequences as well as loss of life or serious injury to the vehicle driver, passengers, and other people nearby.

“Those responsible for causing a bridge strike may be liable for costs associated with the incident, including the inspection and repair of the bridge and the cost of train delays, which can be considerable.”