Bridge Collapse at Barrow on Soar 2nd Aug 2016

[Flying Phil]

Thanks Hairy Bear.

 

[Flying Phil]

Any updated information on this - Has the Barrow bridge now been repaired over the Christmas period?

 

[Hairy Bear]

Went past today in daylight and there's no visible progress made over Christmas.
But there's a road crane turned up so they must be getting ready to do something big very soon.
Will update when I see/hear more progress.

 

[snowball]

Press release

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/network-rail-announces-opening-date-for-barrow-upon-soar-bridge/

A bridge which partially collapsed onto the Midland Main Line in Leicestershire last August will reopen to road vehicles on Monday, 27 March.

Pieces of the bridge on Grove Lane in Barrow upon Soar fell onto the tracks overnight on 1 August 2016, resulting in a day of disruption as train services bound for London through the East Midlands were cancelled and diverted.

Short term repairs meant that train services were running again within 24 hours and although the bridge reopened to pedestrians three weeks later, it has remained closed to road traffic to allow detailed assessments to be made and permanent repairs carried out.

The work to repair the road bridge has included removing 200 tonnes of debris, restoring the brick parapet wall, reconnecting gas and water mains which run through the bridge, as well as resurfacing the road.

Gary Walsh, area director at Network Rail, said: “Repairing this bridge has been a huge project. Work to repair old bridges such as this one are complicated and can run into unforeseen challenges. Although we want the bridge to open as soon as possible, we need to make sure that the bridge is safe for all users before it reopens.

“I appreciate that the work has caused disruption to those living in the area and I apologise for this. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their continued patience whilst this work is carried out.”

Network Rail will hold a public information event on Wednesday, 15 March between 16:00 and 19:00 at Barrow upon Soar Scout Hut. Representatives from Network Rail and their contractors AMCO will be on hand to answer any questions which residents may have, as well as to provide further information on the work which has taken place.

Further work will be required later in the year and residents will be able to find out more information at the event. Network Rail will write to residents before the work begins to let them know the time and dates of the work, as well as any road closures which will be put in place.

ENDS

Editors Notes:

Full address of Barrow upon Soar Scout Hut is – Barrow Upon Soar Scout Group, Scout HQ, Grove Lane, Barrow upon Soar, LEICS, LE12 8NP.

 

[Flying Phil]

On the TV local news, this morning, was an announcement that the bridge was to re open today to all road traffic.

 

[Robertj21a]

RAIB Report now issued and makes interesting reading, although I haven't had time to go through it in any detail.

Would contractors usually carry out exploratory work on a bridge (built in 1840......) while the fast lines are still being used by trains ?

Surely, as 2 trains passed that very spot, at over 90mph, in the previous 6 minutes there was a very real risk that a a major accident was only just avoided ? I note that a freight train was also only stopped by an emergency call from a signaller.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...le/617272/R102017_170606_Barrow_upon_Soar.pdf

 

[zaax]

RAIB Report now issued and makes interesting reading, although I haven't had time to go through it in any detail.

Would contractors usually carry out exploratory work on a bridge (built in 1840......) while the fast lines are still being used by trains ?

Surely, as 2 trains passed that very spot, at over 90mph, in the previous 6 minutes there was a very real risk that a a major accident was only just avoided ? I note that a freight train was also only stopped by an emergency call from a signaller.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...le/617272/R102017_170606_Barrow_upon_Soar.pdf

No mention that the local water co was respoonsablity for failure to replace a warn out leaking cast iron main

 

[takno]

No mention that the local water co was respoonsablity for failure to replace a warn out leaking cast iron main

The water main (which wasn't worn out, may well not have been leaking, and was well within design life) is covered extensively in the report.

 

[snowball]

No mention that the local water co was respoonsablity for failure to replace a warn out leaking cast iron main

It was within its nominal lifespan and nobody seems to have realised that it was leaking. NR seem to have scarcely noticed that it was there.

 

[hwl]

Water main in good condition? I think not:

49 STW’s records, held since 2010, indicate that there had been no bursts of the water main on Grove Lane bridge during that period. STW also had no records of any maintenance on the water main on the bridge. There had, however, been two bursts on Grove Lane, downstream of the bridge, in April and July 2015 and water leaks in 2010 and in 2016.

50 After the collapse, approximately 16.2 metres of water main was found to be missing. Of this, 15.9 metres of pipe in five sections was recovered from the rubble. One of the sections of recovered pipe had a modern coupling. STW was unable to provide any maintenance history of this repair.
...
74 Examination of the water pipes, carried out by RAIB’s forensic specialist, found that a section of water main under the area of subsidence in the footpath had corroded through the full thickness of the pipe wall. This combined with other evidence summarised below indicates that the pipe was probably leaking (figure 11).

75 The RAIB’s forensic specialist reported that the tapered sides to the corrosion indicated that it had started on the inside of the pipe, possibly because of a defect in the lining at this location, and progressed through the pipe.

76 At the site of the leak there was also evidence of pitting on the outside of the pipe from oxygenated wet corrosion, suggesting that water had collected under the pipe.

77... The RAIB’s forensic specialist estimated that the pipe had been leaking for approximately five years and possibly longer.

 

[takno]

Water main in good condition? I think not:

I don't think anybody said it was in good condition, just that it wasn't worn out and was within design life. The evidence that it was even leaky was patchy, and repairs in other areas suggest that it was being effectively maintained. More importantly to the original point, it was definitely mentioned in the report, since it being ruptured was the immediate cause of the collapse

 

[Robertj21a]

Even more importantly, why were trains still running as they were working overhead ?

 

[Flying Phil]

Even more importantly, why were trains still running as they were working overhead ?

Surely working on a road overbridge on the roadway/pavement would not need a line closure as a matter of course? In this particular case there was no reason to suspect the wall would collapse.

 

[Robertj21a]

Surely working on a road overbridge on the roadway/pavement would not need a line closure as a matter of course? In this particular case there was no reason to suspect the wall would collapse.

Fair enough if that's standard practice. I would have expected such an elderly bridge, with significant cracks identified already, to warrant some extra caution.

 

[lincolnshire]

It did strike me as strange that no one had consulted the Network Rail Hazard Directory since as reported that it was listed in there as been at that location.

 

[edwin_m]

It did strike me as strange that no one had consulted the Network Rail Hazard Directory since as reported that it was listed in there as been at that location.

According to the report the people doing the work knew the water main was there but thought it would be protected by concrete plinth, which they found and avoided. In fact (para 108) the concrete had nothing to do with the water main.

 

[Robertj21a]

I remain surprised by the apparent lack of media interest in this case. If that passenger train had been 6 minutes late we could have had a major disaster with many casualties.

 

[AndyW33]

I remain surprised by the apparent lack of media interest in this case. If that passenger train had been 6 minutes late we could have had a major disaster with many casualties.

Possibly they are distracted by the General Election?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I remain surprised by the apparent lack of media interest in this case.

Possibly they are distracted by the General Election?

Brexit, General Election, terrorist attacks - railways - VERY VERY LOW on media attention span

 

[Llanigraham]

And add to that no-one killed or injured.