With its bright signage warning drivers of the low height, some would be forgiven for believing that Stuntney Road railway bridge in Ely, Cambridgeshire would be safe from damage.
But latest figures from Network Rail have revealed the 2.7-metre-high-bridge as the most-hit across Britain.
The bridge, located next to Ely railway station, was hit on 18 on occasions in 2023/24, seeing the unfortunate crossing rise above county rival Stonea Road in Stonea (17), as well as Lower Downs Road in Wimbledon (17) in the notorious list.
Back in February, the bridge had to be closed for more than two hours after a removal van struck the structure.
“Thankfully the bridge has more than nine lives,” said a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police at the time.
Aside from removal trucks, social media shows many more pictures of vehicles damaged after hitting the bridge, including camper vans, HGVs, vehicle transporters and pick-up trucks.
Posting an image, one local wrote last year: “Yet another bridge strike at Ely. Despite the by-pass and massive warning signs, this happens at least once a week. What is wrong with some drivers?”
Another said: “Another one bites the dust.”
Network Rail said there were 1,532 bridge strikes in the last financial year, costing an estimated £20 million in delays, cancellations and repairs.
Delays to services due to lines being closed following bridge strikes exceeded 100 days.
However, the total number of incidents has fallen in each of the past two years, with 1,864 strikes in 2021/22 and 1,588 strikes in 2022/23.
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s group safety and engineering director, said: “Every time a vehicle hits a bridge it can cause serious safety issues for road and rail users.
“To compound matters, these incidents can delay tens of thousands of passengers while we inspect the bridge and repair any damage – creating cost from public funds which should be used upgrading and improving our network.
“We’ve done a lot of work with transport partners to tackle bridge strikes, and it’s encouraging to see this is paying off with a general downward trend in the number of incidents.
“But with a strike every six hours there’s still much to do, and we urge operators and drivers to properly plan their routes, know the height of their vehicles and be vigilant for road signs showing the height of bridges.
“We will report those who don’t to the Traffic Commissioners, and Network Rail always looks to recover the entire repair and delay costs from the driver and the operator.”
