Oversized lorries hit rail bridges five times a day causing misery for hundreds of thousands

The railway suffers almost 2,000 bridge strikes every year costing the taxpayer some £23m in damages and delays.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Oct 2017, 11:35 BST
Updated 12th Dec 2017, 07:59 BST
Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this monthHundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this month
Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this month

The end of 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.

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The Post has reported many incidents of this type in Leyland and PrestonFigures 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.

Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this monthHundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this month
Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers will suffer hours of delays and cancellations this month

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.

Related topics:Leyland