Rail disruption after two lorries hit bridge

Railway passengers have faced disruption after a bridge was struck by two lorries within a matter of hours.

The line between Birmingham and Lichfield Trent Valley was blocked on Tuesday after a lorry crashed into the bridge on Summer Road, Erdington, shortly after 10:00 GMT.

The scene was cleared at about 11:30 GMT but West Midlands Railway said the same bridge was hit by another lorry shortly before 12:30 GMT, blocking the line again.

Replacement buses were put into operation between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, the operator confirmed.

Network Rail said it would check the bridge "as quickly as possible" so the line could be reopened.

The two crashes on Tuesday came after a lorry hit the same bridge and ended up on its side on Friday.

The first lorry to hit the bridge on Tuesday did not stop, Network Rail said, but the second had its trailer roof ripped off and it was left hanging over the road.

All three incidents caused delays on the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley and Network Rail appealed to lorry drivers to check their routes for low bridges and not to rely on sat navs.

Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 24 there were 65 bridge strikes across the West Midlands, causing hours of delays for rail passengers

Martin Colmey, operations director for Network Rail's Central route, said: "There is no excuse for driving a lorry into a railway bridge.

"Our bridges are clearly marked, and lorry drivers should always know the height restrictions of their vehicles.

He said to ignore both and crash into a bridge was "unforgivable".

Mr Colmey also an investigation was underway to see if there was a reason for the sudden spate of crashes on Summer Road.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.