Erosion on railway bridges ‘must be tackled’
Eighty safety projects are needed to protect railway bridges from erosion, a report on climate change has said.
A government consultation on how the transport sector will cope with hotter summers, wetter winters and bigger storms revealed that work had already been carried out on 12 bridges in the past three years.
Analysis for Irish Rail has already warned that scouring, which is wear and tear from water on foundations and support piers, is a major issue because the bridges sit on fast-flowing rivers. It was also said that on 90 per cent of the 475 bridges, the material used for foundations was not known.
The Department of Transport’s report revealed that railway bridges were being inspected by divers every one, three or six years