A bridge strike is when a high-sided vehicle strikes a railway bridge or gets stuck underneath it, thus impeding not only the road but disrupting railway services.

Translink owns and maintains approximately 440 bridges, of which 53 are deemed to be low bridges, and thus at greater risk of a bridge strike.  

Bridge strike incidents have the potential to cause serious injury or worse to road and rail users and can cause severe disruption across the Translink network.

After every incident, the bridge needs to be examined by a dedicated structural engineering team to make sure that it is safe, and any debris needs to be cleared.  This can result in significant delays and disruption to road and rail users, as well as to the community in which the bridge is situated. In some circumstances, this can result in the bridge, and possibly the road running under it, being closed for a prolonged period while repair work is carried out, causing significant disruption to road and rail users and incurring substantial costs, potentially running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

Translink is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of our railway bridges, and with safety as our first priority in all that we do, mitigating the impact of bridge strikes and working to prevent them is something we take seriously.

In Northern Ireland, an average of 20+ bridge strikes per year are recorded by Translink.  

Although they can, and do, take place throughout the year, research undertaken by Network Rail in Great Britain suggests that bridge strikes reach a peak in October and November every year; this is attributed to longer, darker nights and an increased rate of deliveries to shops and businesses in the run-up to Christmas. 

Irish Rail have also recorded an increase in their rate of bridge strikes year on year over the course of the last few years. 

If you are involved in, or witness, a bridge strike incident on the NI Railways network, it should be reported to Translink immediately, using the details on the ‘In Case of Emergency Sign’ fixed to the bridge. The NI Railways Control Office can be contacted on 028 9023 8170 or 028 9089 9444. Alternatively, a bridge strike can also be reported to the PSNI by dialling 999.

In the event of a bridge strike, the railway line needs to be immediately closed until the structure is examined by our on-call engineers. Bridge strikes cause significant delay and disruption, and in the worst-case scenario, can represent a risk of serious injury or worse. They also bring a financial burden, focusing on examination costs and repairs to the bridge, and this can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

Train services will only resume if there are no vehicles trapped under the bridge and as soon as we consider the bridge safe for trains. This can mean the bridge remains closed until engineering repairs are undertaken or opening the line under a reduced speed until necessary repairs are completed. 

The time taken to restore passenger services depends on the extent of the damage, time of day and bridge location. Any resulting repairs following a bridge strike are designed, programmed and completed within appropriate timescales.