Everything ground to a halt as lorry hit railway bridge in Coventry

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Everything ground to a halt as lorry hit railway bridge in Coventry

Postby dutchman » Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:16 am

Network Rail said such crashes can be avoided if drivers "always know the height and size of their vehicles"

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Everything just ground to a halt for many Coventry people today after a lorry hit a railway bridge in Coventry. The drama unfolded in Holyhead Road at around 11.15am as the lorry was heading towards the city centre - forcing trains to slow down and leaving motorists stuck in queues.

The lorry hit the bridge next to the BMW Sytner dealership and was unable to move. This caused traffic jams in both directions with queues towards both the ring road and the crossroads by the Holyhead pub.

The lorry driver contacted Network Rail who sent officials to the scene to check for any damage to the bridge. Trains were told to run at a slower pace while checks were carried out, before the lorry was removed at around noon.

Soon after trains were cleared to run at normal speed over the bridge once more. A Network Rail spokesman said: “We had to slow down trains for a short time this morning after a lorry hit a railway bridge on Holyhead Road in Coventry. We immediately sent someone to the scene to check for structural damage and assist the driver to remove the vehicle.

"Fortunately, the incident didn’t cause any damage or long delays for passengers this time, but bridge strikes like these can be completely avoided. We urge drivers to always know the height and size of their vehicles and to carefully plan their routes, so our infrastructure isn’t put at risk in this way.”

Paul Wells saw the crash as it happened and told CoventryLive: "I was on the bus just in front of it (the lorry) when it happened. It wasn't going at a great speed.

"It is jammed there and the trailer is a bit bent." After being reversed away from the bridge, police officers helped guide the lorry in to the car park of the nearby Alvis Retail. Park.

West Midlands Police confirmed officers were called to the scene but provided no further information.

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