Cradley Heath bridge one of most bashed in the West Midlands

Figures released by Network Rail show there were 65 bridge bashes across the West Midlands between April 1 2023 and March 31 2024, contributing to 8,838 minutes of delays for rail passengers over a 12-month period – more than six days in total.

Bridges in Cradley Road in Cradley Heath, Station Road near Berkswell station, and Birmingham Road in Warwick have been revealed as the top three bridge strike locations in the West Midlands – racking up a total of 10 incidents between them.

Railway bridge on Cradley Road, Cradley Heath

Martin Colmey, Network Rail’s central route operations director, said: “Every time a vehicle hits a bridge, not only can it cause delays to tens of thousands of passengers, but it can also cause serious safety issues for road and rail users.

“Working with partners we’ve made some really positive improvements across the West Midlands but there’s still more work to do to decrease the number of incidents further.

“I’d urge drivers to properly plan their routes, know the height of their vehicles, never rely on sat navs or apps to be up-to-date, and always look out for road signs showing the height restrictions for bridges.”

Most struck railway bridges across the West Midlands 2023/24:

1. Cradley road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands – four strikes
2. Station Road, Berkswell, West Midlands – four strikes
3. Birmingham Road, Warwick –two strikes

Bridge strikes reported across the railway network in the last five financial years:

Year 2019/20 – 1,825 strikes
Year 2020/21 – 1,650 strikes
Year 2021/22 – 1,864 strikes
Year 2022/23 – 1,588 strikes
Year 2023/24 – 1,532 strikes

Lorry strikes a bridge on Summer Road, Erdington, Birmingham (Image: Network Rail) To try to reduce the number of incidents and delays caused, Network Rail is targeting haulage companies and drivers and urges them to take better care on the roads through its Wise Up, Size Up campaign.

The ongoing campaign reminds drivers to check the height of their vehicles and plan their route in advance to avoid low bridges. Network Rail also has a team of bridge strike ‘champions’ which raise awareness across the rail network.

Network Rail’s Central route has also set up a ‘bridge strike working group’, comprising representatives from Network Rail and key partners which has helped to cut the number of incidents and disruption caused.

It was formed in June 2020 in response to a spike in bridge strike incidents, which saw 107 recorded incidents causing more than 11 days (16,355 minutes) of delays for passengers in 2019/20.