Disruption to train services between Shotton and Wrexham due to a vehicle hitting a bridge

On average, a bridge strike costs taxpayers £13,500 and causes two hours of delays to train services according to new figures from Network Rail.

Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this month as ‘bridge-strikes’ – when a lorry that’s too big hits a low bridge – reach their peak, with new figures revealing October/November see around 10 incidents reported every day.

The railway suffers almost 2,000 bridge strikes every year costing the taxpayer some £23m in damages and delays.

The end of this month (October) sees a peak in the number of strikes, rising to almost 10 per day.

Research suggests this could be due to the hour change and increased deliveries ahead of Christmas.

Figures also show most bridge strikes happen between 10am and 11am, but remain high all day until around 6pm in the evening and can cause hours of travel chaos.

Research has found:

• 43 per cent of lorry drivers admit to not knowing the size of their vehicle
• 52 per cent of drivers admit to not taking low bridges into account when planning their journeys
• five bridge strikes happen across the country everyday – with a peak of 10/day in October
• on average, each bridge strike costs £13,500 and causes two hours of delays to train services.

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