Bridge replacement at Longsdon (Staffs)

[45378]

Out for a walk last weekend near Leek.
Discover that Network Rail are hard at work replacing an understrength bridge over the railway at Longsdon.
Only thing is.....bridge is across a single line from Stoke-on-Trent to Leek/Caldon Low (quarry)/Churnet Valley (preserved railway) and the line hasn't seen a train for about 10 years. Anyone venturing up the line by rail would need a good chainsaw, and probably a good supply of re-railing kit.
So what's the story?
Could rail movement to/from the quarry be on the cards?

I'm as keen as anyone to see more rail freight, but in the absence of a likely demand this seems a strange priority for NR.
Please, someone who knows, lighten my darkness!

Rgds

45378

 

[bluenoxid]

If the understrength bridge was to collapse, who do you think would be legally responsible.

I hope I have lit your darkness with the a million candle torch.

 

[45378]

Apols - the point I was trying to make but clearly failed - was why a bridge - if it's in need of replacement why not just cut the line with an embankment - much cheaper. But they didn't - so something's afoot. But what?

Rgds


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[bluenoxid]

It's about maintaining the track bed too. Also cutting an embankment can be risky and expensive. It is not just a matter of putting in a slope and dumping the spoil. You need to cut it all correctly and then pay landfill tax on thousands of metres cubed of spoil. It's not cheap cutting it either. Those big diggers are expensive to run. In addition you need the dump trucks to shift it. The road also needs a complete redesign and it puts another level crossing on the network (even if the line is presently closed).

Bridges (especially straight forwards jobs like that) are NR's bread and butter. All it needs is the bridge designing, a check and possible strengthening of the abutments and then what is relatively a quick install (compared to digging the road down). It also means that the bridge is still there. These bridges are designed to last 100 years so they do payback

Looking at googlemaps, both logical bridges in the vicinity need to clear the canal and river nearby so it would really affect the road users if they had to dip down to the line before climbing back up again.

The option will have been considered but a bridge replacement is much easier to do.

 

[25322]

Not sure of the state of play but Network rail were in discussions with the CVR some time back about the purchase of the line.

My guess is that they are repairing the bridge after a strike by an HGV that was wrongly routed via your friendly neighbourhood Sat Nav that sees Park Lane (thats the name of the lane) as the shortest route to Cheddleton from the A53.

Having said that the canal bridge a liitle further the up has it own weight restriction on it.

To open the line from Stoke to Cauldon Low will take ages and a vast amount of money but hey you never know
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It looks like it is highways related as they have started work on another bridge of similar construction further along the line at Endon