Camps Viaduct improvement work

We’re investing £6m on carrying out essential metalwork repairs before removing the old paint and rust and then priming and re-painting the bridge.

It’s all designed to extend the lifespan of the bridge as part of our commitment to running a safe and reliable railway.

This is a a 13-month programme, from March 2023 to April 2024.

We're carrying out this work as part of our commitment to running a safe and reliable railway.

Our work will address the general breakdown of paintwork and other issues on the 160-year-old structure, and in turn will ensure the bridge is stronger and better protected against defects for years to come.

Unfortunately, some of the plant and machinery we use means that noise is unavoidable. Also the nature of the work, such as rivet-busting and grit-blasting activities.

We will do all we can to minimise the impact of this, including having an acoustic barrier in place. We have also asked those working on site to do so with consideration for the local community.

As well as supporting our railway, Camps Viaduct provides a habitat for some rare species, including a rather famous Peregrine Falcon and we must do everything we can to protect them.

Before our work could commence, months and months of planning took place to find the safest and most efficient way to carry out the crucial refurbishment while causing as little disruption as possible to the falcon and other species.

We sought advice from experts including ecologists, park rangers and ornithologists, and, acting on best recommendations, we installed netting on the structure to deter birds from nesting on it for the duration of our work.

Network Rail takes biodiversity extremely seriously. Alongside our responsibility to provide a safe and reliable railway, we have an ambitious environmental sustainability strategy which features biodiversity protections and an aim for no net loss of biodiversity by 2024 and a net gain by 2035. You can read more here -Biodiversity on Britain’s railway - Network Rail

To help prevent any other birds from becoming trapped in the netting, we have implemented the following;

• Our teams visually inspect the netting on a daily basis to ensure there is no damage to the netting, and that no birds have gotten in or are trapped in the netting.

• There will be regular roped access inspections to check for damage to the netting/carry out repairs as required.

We are also currently erecting an access scaffold which will allow the bridge deck to be fully encapsulated within a solid membrane. As this progresses, the netting can start to be removed in the coming months.

With regards to the peregrine falcon, prior to the bird netting being completed, an alternative nesting basket was erected for the peregrine falcon and a nest box was installed for a barn owl which was identified by the local bird group.

All of these measures were discussed with a local Ornithology Club member and Countryside Ranger, who have been kept informed as the works have been progressing.

If you have any questions or concerns please call our 24-hr helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or via the contact page on this website for the project.