Grade II listed railway footbridge facing uncertain future after damage

A Grade II listed railway footbridge is facing an uncertain future after it was struck by a railway maintenance vehicle.

The footbridge, at Llanbradach railway station, was damaged on Sunday, February 13.

Transport for Wales (TfW) has promised it will “do our very best to restore the original bridge” but admitted this will depend on the scale of the damage.

A TfW spokesperson said: “We will be carrying out all relevant safety and structural assessments once we’ve been able to dismantle the bridge and remove it to a safe location.  

“The work to remove the bridge will start this week and will continue over the next month during the day and night, as some of this work needs to be carried out when trains are not running.”

A bridge too far for TfW?

The bridge is the second in Llanbradach to suffer damage due to a collision after the nearby Tynygraig footbridge was hit by a Caerphilly Skip Hire lorry in May 2020.

Almost two years on, it has still not been replaced – despite promises of a temporary bridge.

But answering a Senedd question posed by Caerphilly MS Hefin David, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters promised a new bridge would be built.

He said: “The bridge definitely will be replaced and we’re hoping it’ll be in place a year from now, between late March and April 2023.”

Hefin David said he will continue to liaise with TfW on repairs to Grade II listed bridge.

Refurbishment turned down

A refurbishment of the historic footbridge was turned down by a planning an inspector in July 2019.

Network Rail, which then had responsibility for the bridge, had wanted to replace its timber decking with boards of glass reinforced plastic (GRP).

The wrought and cast-iron footbridge was listed in 2016 for its special architectural interest as a well-preserved railway bridge built in the late 19th century.