Installation of a new railway bridge on the West Coast Mainline (WCML) at Ravenscraig in North Lanarkshire was completed on time over the Easter weekend.

The new bridge is part of a £16.9 million investment from North Lanarkshire Council and Glasgow City Region City Deal, and for nine days, from 1st April to the early hours of 10th April engineers had worked 24 x 7 to move the new 5,000-tonne bridge into position.

Construction of the new bridge has been ongoing since May 2022, with Network Rail and STORY Contracting constructing the enormous concrete structure at a compound next to the railway. The actual installation was governed by just a tight window of opportunity to move it into position over Easter.

To create space for the new structure, engineers excavated over 36,000 tonnes of material from the railway embankment, and the new bridge deck was installed on 4th April.

Once the new bridge had been lifted into position, it was built into the embankment then over the Easter weekend the overhead line equipment and tracks were reinstated, followed by tamping to compact the new ballast under the railway track.

Now that the new bridge is in position, North Lanarkshire Council will be able to construct a new dual carriageway that incorporates pedestrian and cycle paths from Airbles Road/Windmillhill Street to Robberhall Road, as part of a wider investment to open the area for future development.

Network Rail has information on the bridge work available on its project page at: www.scotlandsrailway.com/projects/ravenscraig

North Lanarkshire Council also has further information about the project on its project page at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/ravenscraig-south-citydeal

Councillor Paul Kelly, depute leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: “This marks a significant moment in our ambitious plans to redevelop the area. The new road will boost the economy, provide new well-paid jobs and allow so many other exciting developments to take place. I’d like to congratulate everyone involved.”

Jeremy Spence, senior programme manager for Network Rail, said: “The successful delivery of this project took many months of meticulous planning and preparation, followed by a huge effort by those on-site working to construct the bridge.

“By working collaboratively with Story Contracting and North Lanarkshire Council, we been able to make sure we seamlessly delivered the work over the crucial last nine days.

“I would also like to thank the local community for the patience they have shown throughout the work.”
John MacArthur, managing director of Story Contracting (Scotland), said: “The successful delivery of Europe’s largest concrete structure lift at Ravenscraig is a significant milestone for Story Contracting and testament to the hard work and dedication of the team and our supply chain partners.

“This project showcases our commitment to excellence and our ability to collaborate as Scotland’s Railway to deliver high-quality solutions. I am extremely proud of everyone involved in bringing this ambitious project to life.”