Network Rail invests £5 million to replace Agbrigg railway bridge

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On 6 November, Network Rail announced plans to replace the Agbrigg Road railway bridge in Wakefield, with an investment of nearly £5 million. The project will demolish the existing railway bridge near Sandal & Agbrigg station and install a new bridge designed for a 120-year service life. The main replacement work is scheduled to take place during the Christmas period of 2026, with a railway closure window running from the early hours of 24 December until 8:00 a.m. on 27 December. Subsequent road and ancillary works will continue until February 2027.

The bridge is located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, where the railway passes over Agbrigg Road and forms part of an important rail corridor connecting Doncaster and Leeds. The main steel girder structure of the existing bridge does not meet current structural standards, and weight restrictions and continuous monitoring measures are currently in place. Network Rail will restore the bridge's structural load-carrying capacity through a full replacement. The new bridge will also be more resistant to impacts from road vehicles, reducing the impact of bridge damage on both rail and road traffic.

The main span of the new bridge will be prefabricated in advance at a temporary construction site near the station and delivered to the installation position in two parts during the official replacement period. Workers will first remove the railway track and ballast above the bridge deck, then use a 50-tonne demolition excavator to clear the old bridge structure. The new bridge deck will be lifted into place in two sections, followed by the installation of waterproofing and drainage facilities, and the relaying of the railway track and ballast above the bridge deck to restore the railway line. The key processes of old bridge demolition, new bridge installation and track restoration will be completed within the concentrated construction window.

Road traffic management will begin before the main railway bridge replacement. From 8 November, temporary traffic lights will be installed on Agbrigg Road; from 14 November, the contractor will arrange Saturday night road closures. During the full bridge replacement over the Christmas period, the road will be fully closed, and Network Rail has consulted with Wakefield Council to develop a diversion route for motor vehicles. During construction, some parking spaces will also be temporarily suspended to meet traffic management and access requirements for large construction vehicles.

After the bridge installation is completed, the project team will also carry out ancillary road works, restore affected utility services and dismantle the temporary construction site. The entire construction programme is expected to continue until February 2027. Network Rail has scheduled the main bridge replacement work within the Christmas railway closure window to concentrate the demolition and installation processes that require possession of the railway line, with road and site restoration work to follow.