Travel disruption as bridge collapse blocks trains

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A vehicle hit the bridge between Rugby and Nuneaton on Thursday, Network Rail said



A railway bridge has partially collapsed after being hit by a vehicle, leading to major disruption on trains through Warwickshire until at least 17:00 BST on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday, on Marston Lane in Whitestone, Nuneaton, causing the road to be closed between Forders Lane and Nuneaton Road, according to travel firm Inrix.

Network Rail said all lines were blocked and trains would be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or diverted via Birmingham.

"Our teams are working to assess the damage to the bridge and keep passengers moving," it added.

In addition, services along the route may start or terminate from either side of Nuneaton or Rugby, and may not run their full journey.

Travellers were advised to check online journey planners before making their journeys.

Network Rail added that if passengers no longer wished to travel due to their train being delayed or cancelled, they could request a full refund from where they bought their tickets.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were called at about 15:30 BST on Thursday to reports of a lorry hitting a railway bridge on Marston Lane.

There were no reports of any injuries, they said, and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

They said fire crews remained on scene while structural engineers carried out an assessment of the structure.

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Arrest after railway bridge collapse



A man has been arrested for endangering a railway passenger after a railway bridge partially collapsed in Warwickshire when it was hit by a lorry.

The 64-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of failure to stop following a collision.

Network Rail said the bridge was "seriously damaged" in the crash but confirmed no-one was injured, while rail passengers have been warned of continued disruption on the busy West Coast Main Line.

Passengers were told to expect disruptions to Avanti and West Midlands Railways services until the end of Friday. Warwickshire Police said it was called to Marston Lane, Whitestone, on Thursday afternoon.

The crash caused the road to be closed between Forders Lane and Nuneaton Road, and blocked the core railway line, which runs between London and Scotland via the West Midlands.

On Friday, National Rail said the lines between Nuneaton and Rugby had reopened, but trains were running at a reduced speed and might still be cancelled, revised or delayed.

Passengers were advised to check their routes before travelling and to allow extra time for their journeys.

The West Coast Main Line runs from London Euston to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh, with stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Coventry and Milton Keynes along the route.

The bridge collapse affects both Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services, National Rail added.

A spokesperson confirmed tickets dated for Thursday could be used on services on Friday.

They added that, if passengers no longer wished to travel due to their train being delayed or cancelled, they could request a full refund from where they bought their tickets.

Network Rail there were 1,666 reported bridge strikes between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

A spokesperson said most of the vehicles that hit railway bridges were lorries and buses, at a cost of about £13,000 each time – costing about £23m in a year in repairs

Research as part of a campaign, they added, found more than two-fifths of lorry drivers admitted not measuring their vehicle before heading out on the road, and 52% admitted to not taking low bridges into account.