Ketton bridge collision could've been a "catastrophe", says Rutland rail expert

A local rail expert says the Rutland bridge collision over the weekend could've been a 'very serious' incident.

Community 4X4 Responder Nigel Spencer was one of the first on-the-scene on Saturday 5th November, after a lorry collided with Foster's Bridge near Ketton.

He tells us it was lucky that rail strikes were happening at the time, which reduced services:

'Obviously if a train had actually been passing over there was a severe risk of not only damage to the train and a rupture to the fuel tank, but also derailment...'

'...of course, on top of an embankment, that doesn't bare thinking about, especially if it's a passenger train travelling at speed - lighter weight as well, and more likely to get thrown off'.

Mr Spencer added that the disruption and repair costs would be 'very expensive':

'It's certainly not going to be an easy fix and it's certainly going to be very, very expensive - just in disruption to trains. I mean all the trains at the moment are having to divert round or they're having to put buses on instead, so it's a massive, massive cost.'

A sat-nav solution?

Mr Spencer said similar incidents to the Ketton bridge collision are happening around the country on a 'daily-to-weekly' basis, and that greater legislation is needed.

'There's got to be legislation - perhaps all vehicles over a certain height have to have a specific sat navigation with heights for the vehicles and marking up all the bridges around. There are specific height satnavs around, maybe it needs to be made into law.'

In a statement released in response to the Ketton bridge collision, Network Rail said:

'Between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 there were 1,624 bridge strikes reported across the network. Each incident costs the UK taxpayer around £13,000.'

'Network Rail has been running the ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ campaign since 2018 to urge drivers to know the height of their vehicle and choose an appropriate route before setting off.'

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