Road vehicles are smashing into Britain's railway bridges every five hours on average, costing Network Rail £13.6 million last year and causing thousands of hours of train delays.
The infrastructure operator's figures reveal the scale of a problem plaguing communities nationwide, with lorries and high-sided vehicles repeatedly colliding with low bridges. The damage disrupts both rail passengers trying to get to work and freight services carrying goods across the country.
London's St John's Street bridge has become Britain's most-bashed bridge, suffering 58 strikes in the past year alone. Bridges in Ashton-under-Lyne and Leicester also feature among the worst-hit structures, highlighting how the issue affects towns and cities from the capital to the Midlands and North West.
The £13.6 million bill covers emergency repairs, safety checks and compensation to train companies for cancelled services. But the true cost runs deeper—money that could upgrade Britain's creaking rail network is instead being spent fixing preventable damage.
Network Rail has relaunched its 'Wise Up and Size Up' campaign, urging professional drivers to check their vehicle height against bridge clearances. The campaign targets haulage companies directly and uses roadside advertising to hammer home the message.
With the festive season approaching and parcel deliveries surging, Network Rail fears a spike in incidents. Each strike not only risks driver safety but forces rail passengers to endure delays whilst engineers assess whether damaged bridges are safe for trains to cross.