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Major sections of a replacement railway bridge which will take the West Coast Main Line over the M6 motorway are arriving on site ahead of its complete overhaul next year.
Network Rail is investing 拢60m to replace Clifton bridge near Penrith so it can continue to trains over one of Britain's busiest motorways.
Weight restrictions on the current 60-year-old structure mean that it can only carry one train at a time, causing delays to train services.
Once constructed in January next year the new bridge will be 130 metres long and weigh around 3,000 tonnes.聽
In recent weeks, Network Rail and its main contractor Skanska have welcomed the delivery of the first of five beams for the new three-span structure. The parts are fabricated in Glasgow before making their journey south, ready to be assembled on a purpose-built work site next to the M6 in Clifton.
The main work starts in January 2026.
Skanska鈥檚 rail programme director, Rosario Barcena, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e had fantastic collaboration on this project, including with Network Rail, National Highways, local authorities and our supply chain partners.聽
鈥淭o see the first steels arriving on site is a massive achievement. Our expert team is now very much focused on building the new bridge off site and planning for its installation in early January.鈥�
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